DRC: MSF mourns the loss of a colleague amid the conflict

It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news of the passing of our colleague, Jerry Muhindo Kavali, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He died today from the gunshot wound he suffered while at the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) base in Masisi town, North Kivu, during clashes between the VDP/Wazalendo and the M23/AFC on 20 February.

On 21 February, we managed to transfer Jerry to Goma for treatment in a hospital better equipped to deal with the seriousness of his injuries and to bring him closer to his family. Unfortunately, the efforts of the hospital team were not enough to save him.

We stand by his family at this difficult time and send our deepest condolences to all his loved ones and colleagues in Masisi.

Aged 49, Jerry was a much-loved colleague. He was known for his constant smile, his dedication, his kindness and his unwavering commitment to MSF. Jerry has been with us since 2014. The whole MSF family is in mourning today. We also feel anger, as his tragic death comes against a backdrop of increasing violence in and around health and humanitarian facilities in eastern DRC. We reiterate our strongest condemnation of the lack of respect for humanitarian work. It is this lack of respect that led to Jerry’s death. Sadly, these incidents are becoming more commonplace during this conflict.

To all the warring parties, we remind you once again: even war has rules.

At the time of writing, the MSF base and Masisi hospital are still full of families who have come there to seek shelter from the fighting, as well as patients who have been treated, many of them women and children who have fallen victim to the violence of the past few days. On 20 February alone, 11 patients were treated for gunshot wounds at the hospital. All were civilians. Seven of them were women and children. MSF has been present in the Masisi health zone since 2007. Our teams support Masisi hospital, the Masisi health centre, the Nyabiondo health centre and several outlying health centres in the area.

About Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is a global network of principled medical and other professionals who specialise in medical humanitarian work, driven by our common humanity and guided by medical ethics. We strive to bring emergency medical care to people caught in conflicts, crises, and disasters in more than 70 countries worldwide.

In South Africa, the organisation is recognised as one of the pioneers of providing Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) in the public sector and started the first HIV programmes in South Africa in 1999. Until today, the focus of MSF’s interventions in the country has primarily been on developing new testing and treatment strategies for HIV/AIDS and TB in Eshowe (Kwa-Zulu Natal) and Khayelitsha (Western Cape).

In Tshwane, we run a migration project, and we offer medical and psychosocial care to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, who struggle to access public health services under South Africa’s increasingly restrictive.

Previously we offered free, high-quality, confidential medical care to survivors of SGBV in Rustenburg.

To learn more about our work in South Africa, please visit this page on our website (www.msf.org.za). To support MSF’s work: