North Kivu, Goma – On April 18, Medicines’ medical workers at Frontiere (MSF) were shot dead at home by gunmen in military uniforms in Masisi, North Kivu Province, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A nurse at Masisi General referral hospital, he is the second MSF staff member killed in Masisi in the last two months, and the third was fatally shot at North Kivu this year.
On the evening of April 18th, two armed men, dressed in military fatigue and carrying attack rifles, attacked and robbed civilians in the town of Mashisi, before breaking into the home of an MSF nurse to steal the residents. During the incident, the attacker fired and fatally injured his colleague with two shots in the chest.
“The DRC’s MSF Country Representative, Emmanuel Lampaère said: “Every week, our team is not only a witness, but also a victim of violent incidents targeting civilians, humanitarian workers and healthcare facilities. This should be stopped soon.”
Since early 2025, the MSF team has witnessed violent incidents almost every day, but in many cases they were victims. Over the course of four months, three MSF staff were shot dead in North Kivu, either during the course of their work or as a result of violence against civilians.
On February 20, an MSF radio operator on duty at a base in Mashisi Central was killed in a crossfire between VDP/Wazalendo and an M23/AFC fighter. A few days later, another MSF worker was shot dead in his home in Goma in the middle of the night. In the past few months, another colleague has been shot and recently co-workers are currently hospitalized at Goma.
“Even where armed conflicts cease, anxiety is everywhere,” says Mathil de Guého, MSF director for North Kivu’s programme. “In addition to the armed violence that directly affects our hospitals and bases, we witness daily recurring crimes and recurring violence that affect civilians, especially at night, including murder, sexual violence, gunshot wounds, fear tor, house aggression, and threats.”
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In response to this series of violent incidents, 15 of them have directly impacted the MSF teams, ambulances, offices and the medical facilities we support, and MSF is calling on competent authorities to hold weapons accountable. They must take immediate steps to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers, fight crime and end the abuses our team witnesses every day.
“We remind all parties at M23/AFC, VDP/Wazalendo and FARDC that it is a legal obligation to protect civilians and their property in conflict zones,” Lampaert said. “All relevant authorities must act urgently to support this responsibility.”
At DRC, 3,000 locally employed locally, the international staff works directly with MSF with staff from the Ministry of Health to provide healthcare to people across the country.
