It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our colleague, Jerry Muhindo Kavali, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Jerry died today from a gunshot wound he suffered while at the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) base in the town of Masisi, North Kivu, during clashes between the armed groups VDP/Wazalendo and M23/AFC on February 20.
On February 21, 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 had 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, MSF’s base and Masisi General Referral Hospital are still full of families seeking shelter from the fighting as well as patients, many of whom are women and children who have fallen victim to the escalation of violence in DRC in recent days.
On February 20 alone, 11 patients were treated for gunshot wounds at the hospital. All were civilians, and seven of them were women and children.
MSF has been present in Masisi health zone since 2007. Our teams support Masisi General Referral Hospital, the Masisi and Nyabiondo health centers, and several outlying health centers in the area.
