MSF: Update on situation in Goma, eastern DRC

As armed clashes rage in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) teams in Kyeshero hospital are receiving injured people referred by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from the overcrowded Ndosho hospital. Our teams are reporting shelling, shooting and looting, including in the centre of the city, causing panic and displacement.

The Kyeshero hospital is trying to continue treating malnourished children and has received more than 61 wounded since Thursday. "It is difficult to quantify the number of injured and dead, but the human damage could be significant", says Virginie Napolitano, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Goma.

The ongoing fighting is severely restricting MSF's ability to move around the city and in the camps for displaced people. We call for the protection of civilians and the medical mission, as well as for safe humanitarian access to help the most vulnerable populations.