Congo-Kinshasa: An Attack On Healthcare Every Six Hours, and No One Held to Account
[UN News] Across the world, healthcare has suffered more than 10,000 attacks in the past eight years, including during the brutal conflict in Ukraine and efforts to contain the current Ebola outbreak spreading rapidly in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), healthcare has endured over 10,400 attacks since 2018, resulting in an estimated 5,700 deaths and more than 8,000 injuries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). No perpetrators have been held accountable for these attacks. In the most recent six-month period, WHO recorded over 900 attacks, with at least 900 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries.
Heavy weapons, destruction of healthcare facilities, and psychological violence were the most common forms of attack. The WHO Director for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Altaf Musani, emphasized that attacks on healthcare facilities impact not only those present at the time but also disrupt medical services for days, weeks, or even months to come.
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, WHO has verified over 3,000 attacks affecting health facilities, ambulances, warehouses, and supply chains. However, not a single attack has entered the accountability system.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
