Ciza went north on November 18th, through Kayna and Kanyabayonga, taking PEP and medicines for the Sexual Violence programme. He saw the destruction of these prosperous towns – now looted and empty of inhabitants. The government army looted, and the Mai Mai and PARECO (local defense militias) tried to stop them. After three government soldiers were killed, there were repraisals against young men. The official death toll was 4, but Ciza has testimony of many others unreported. Particularly sad was the murder of a Primary School director, left unburied outside his school. The population is still in the bush, many for ten days now.

Ciza reports that all but two health structures are closed, and the personnel have fled. The two that are still open are Kayna hospital with three nurses, and CSR Rebois with 6 nurses. There were no doctors in the whole region. MSF-France medicine depot has been looted and there is serious lack of medicines, especially oral rehydration salts for diarrhea. (I saw on today’s news that MSF are sending a team back to Kayna, and Merlin in Butembo are preparing to send down some medicines.)

Ciza went to find our staff and encourage them. The situation is bad: the women’s house in Kanyabayonga has been looted and taken over by the military. The house in Kayna has been completely looted, but fortunately, the team going north at the end of October had taken the two motorbikes to Butembo, and the little generator. The counselors and trainers of the programme have fled with the rest of the population so it is very hard to offer services to the many women who have been raped. One woman from Kayna was murdered when she fought back against the soldiers trying to rape her.