07-03-13 ICRC News Release 13/38 – Violence against civilians in Masisi must stop
The
fighting had resulted in the loss of life of large numbers of military
personnel and civilians, including very young children. Most residents
of Kitchanga and nearby areas had fled.
"Kitchanga is now a vast
scene of devastation. Our staff in the city are in shock. We are
extremely concerned about the scale of the recent violence, which has
taken place in a region already severely beset by conflicts," said Franz
Rauchenstein, the head of the ICRC delegation in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. "The presence of uncontrolled fighters in the
city is also a matter of concern."
The ICRC is reminding the
parties to the conflict that they must distinguish at all times between
civilians and fighters, and between civilian objects, which must be
spared and protected, and military objectives. This distinction is
fundamental to international humanitarian law. ICRC staff in the eastern
Congo have been constantly conveying this message to the armed forces
and armed groups concerned.
In Kitchanga, more than 70 volunteers
from the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have
administered first aid for minor injuries. They have also recovered and
buried the mortal remains of 68 people.
On 1 March an ICRC
surgical team was sent to join ICRC surgeons already hard at work in
Goma's N'Dosho Hospital, expanding the facility's surgical capabilities
and helping to cope with the influx of casualties from Kitchanga. More
than 90 war-injured people, including around 50 from Kitchanga, are
currently being treated there. To treat the most serious cases, several
operations are often required over several weeks.
ICRC staff are carrying on with their work in the Kitchanga area in order to meet the most urgent needs.
For further information, please contact:
Thomas Glass, ICRC Goma, tel: +243 81 700 77 86
Annick Bouvier, ICRC Kinshasa, tel: +243 81 700 85 36
Marie-Servane Desjonquères, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 31 60 or +41 79 536 92 58