Goma, 24 April 2025 – On the evening of 18 April, a health worker from international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was shot dead in his home in Masisi town, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s North Kivu province, by a gunman in military uniform. A nurse at Masisi general referral hospital, he is the second MSF staff member to be killed in Masisi town in the past two months and the third to be fatally shot in North Kivu this year.
Earlier in the evening of 18 April, two armed men dressed in military fatigues and carrying assault rifles attacked and robbed civilians in Masisi town, before breaking into the house of the MSF nurse to rob residents. During the incident, the attackers opened fire, fatally wounding the MSF nurse with two shots to the chest.
Since early 2025, MSF teams have witnessed violent incidents on an almost daily basis – and on a number of occasions have been the victims. In the space of four months, three MSF staff have been shot dead in North Kivu, either in the course of their work or as a result of violence against civilians.
On 20 February, an MSF radio operator on duty at MSF’s base in central Masisi was killed in crossfire between VDP/Wazalendo and M23/AFC fighters. A few days later, another MSF worker was shot dead in the middle of the night at his home in Goma. In the past few months, other colleagues have been shot and wounded, the most recent of whom is currently hospitalised in
Goma.
In response to this series of violent incidents, some 15 of which have directly affected MSF teams, ambulances, offices and the health facilities it supports since January, MSF is calling on the competent authorities to hold those carrying weapons accountable and to take immediate measures to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers, to combat crime and to put an end to the abuses its teams witness daily.
“We remind all parties – M23/AFC, VDP/Wazalendo, FARDC – that the protection of civilians and their property in conflict zones is a legal obligation,” says Lampaert. “All relevant authorities must act urgently to uphold this responsibility.”
In the DRC, nearly 3,000 locally–hired and international staff work directly for MSF, alongside Ministry of Health staff, to provide medical care to vulnerable people across the country.
