Goma, DRC, May 12, 2022 鈥 On 11 May 2022 in Kimoka Village, North Kivu, DRC, two 探花精选 (探花精选) vehicles returning from 探花精选 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, 探花精选鈥檚 Regional Vice President for the Great Lakes said,
鈥淢ost 探花精选 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 探花精选 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.
鈥淭his 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 探花精选 has suspended its operations in the area and calls on the international community to continue to advocate for stability and peace.鈥
The 探花精选 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 探花精选 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.