Goma, DRC, May 12, 2022 — On 11 May 2022 in Kimoka Village, North Kivu, DRC, two International Rescue Committee (IRC) vehicles returning from IRC project sites were attacked by armed men. The driver of one of the vehicles was shot twice and the driver and a colleague from the second vehicle were taken by the armed men.
Kate Moger, IRC’s Regional Vice President for the Great Lakes said,
“Most IRC staff were able to escape the scene, and our wounded colleague is recovering in hospital. The whereabouts of the kidnapped colleagues is still unknown. The IRC is working with the authorities to locate them as soon as possible and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that our team is safe and supported whilst dealing with this traumatic situation.
“This incident is yet another reminder of the risks that humanitarian workers are exposed to every day and of the violence that the population in the DRC has been witnessing for many years. The IRC has suspended its operations in the area and calls on the international community to continue to advocate for stability and peace.”
The IRC has been working in the DRC since 1996 providing emergency assistance and humanitarian aid to those affected by violence and uprooted from their homes. As the country struggles to recover from decades of conflict and widespread epidemics, the IRC is focusing our efforts in North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Tanganyika and in the city of Kinshasa by providing health care, water, sanitation, protection services and emergency supplies to hundreds of thousands of people in eastern and central Congo.