Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said a hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was attacked and urged warring factions to protect civilians and medical facilities.
Armed men attacked the hospital in the town of Drodro in Ituri province during the night of March 6–7, killing an elderly patient in her bed and looting medical equipment, MSF said.
MSF’s project coordinator in Drodro, Boubacar Mballo, said there were no longer any functioning medical facilities in the town, and the growing insecurity had effectively cut off the region, disrupting supplies of food and water to Rho camp.
The surge in violence in and around Drodro has triggered a mass exodus from the area.
Thousands displaced
Thousands of people have sought refuge about 10 kilometres (six miles) away at Rho camp for displaced people, which was designed to accommodate a maximum of 30,000 people but is now sheltering more than twice as many, MSF said.
MSF has temporarily evacuated its staff from Drodro, and while it continues to provide medical care to people at Rho camp, it says this is "not sustainable" in the long term.
"What has happened here is nothing short of horrifying," said Stephanie Giandonato, MSF’s programme manager for the DRC.
MSF said that if violence worsened and supplies ran out, it would no longer be able to provide healthcare, water, and sanitation to displaced people in Rho.
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