Mission to Mwenga: Day 1

November 10th, 2009

Today we set off for a one week evaluation to Kitutu, in Mwenga district, a place where MSF has never visited before. The aim of the assessment is to have a better understanding of the impact of the recent violence on the local population, and in particular the health needs.

Since early this year, a military operation has been in full swing across North and South Kivu. In August, the operation reached Kitutu. The result in Kitutu is similar to other areas all across Kivu. The local population gets caught in the middle between the two fighting sides. Their villages are looted and burned, the women are raped, and young men are kidnapped for ransom money. It’s a no-win situation for the local population, who are bearing the brunt of this violent military operation.

Until the beginning of this year, Mwenga district was accessible by plane, motorbike and foot only. Now the road, the National Highway 2, is being rebuilt although unfortunately it is still 20 km short of our final destination.

A minor delay in setting off – there is a strike and all the petrol stations are closed. After finally filling up our vehicles and spare jerrycans, our team of five is on the road: myself (team leader), Tarsis (doctor), Zac (logistician), Justin and Colby (drivers).

The five hour drive is through some of the most beautiful and fertile landscape I have seen so far in Congo – green rolling mountains with their peaks shrouded in mist, a brown river snaking through the valley below, with occasional sightings of people searching for gold. Every inch of land is either cultivated or covered in thick forest. My driver, Justin, tells me that the last time he travelled this road was in 2002 when the same journey took him 6 weeks, driving a truck!

After stopping to visit the hospital in Mwenga, we arrive by late afternoon at our stopover in Kamituga. We are all amazed by the size of the town. On the maps we studied as we prepared for the assessment, Kamituga looked like a small town. In reality, it has 100,000 inhabitants, scattered over several hills. The town must have changed considerably this year with the opening of the road. There is now a bustling market, with many shops offering to sell gold nuggets over the counter. A coca cola now costs 50 cents instead of $5 like last year!

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