Post date: Nov 16, 2012 3:0:13 PM
Dr. Denis Mukwege, chief physician at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, gives a testimony of his fight against sexual violence against women in Kivu and says he is afraid of returning home after he was attacked.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 15, 2012) (REUTERS) - A Nobel-prize nominated Congolese gynecologist, Denis Mukwege said on Thursday (November 15) he is too scared to return to his native Congo, after an attempt on his life last month by armed men in one of the most violent parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A member of Mukwege's staff was killed in the attack at his home in South Kivu province, but the gynecologist escaped unhurt.The Congolese gynecologist is the director of the Panzi Hospital, which specializes in helping rape victims.
Mukwege said he believed the attackers wanted to kill him, but he still did not know why. Some media reports have speculated the attack may have had political overtones.
"Unfortunately, from what I gather, these men (attackers) were experienced, because it took place in seconds, and apparently each of the attackers had a precise role, so it was really a group of killers, " Mukwege told reporters during a visit to the European Commission in Brussels.
Panzi Hospital was established in 1999 in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. It offers comprehensive care to the patients, combining treatments of the physical and emotional injuries with socio-economic rehabilitation.
Violence is frequent in both the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where Mukwege is based, with rebel soldiers commonly using rape as a weapon to intimidate communities and drive people from their land.
Congo's government has faced increased military tensions with its neighbor Rwanda over allegations from the U.N. and analysts that Kigali is behind an insurgency in the eastern part of the country.
For decades, the country has experienced war and chaos, with investors excited over the vast untapped mineral and oil reserves.
The government however, is still having to contend with a plethora of rebellions across the vast, fractious state.
Women, are especially vulnerable to the insecurity. Rights groups say thousands of women and girls have been raped by both government and rebel forces.
Although Mukwege does not know when he will return home, he says that he will continue to fight against sexual violence in eastern Congo, as does the Panzi staff, who remain on the ground.
"I ask for a minimum of security put in place. I don't want to return to die as a martyr. I want to go back alive, and continue to fight alongside these women who need peace and justice," he said.
"I am in touch with the hospital's staff, they continue to serve on a daily basis, they do a wonderful job. It has not changed much, and we continue working because the struggles continues," he added.
Mukwege, who was among several hundred people and organizations nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year, criticized the Congolese government, saying an offer by the provincial governor after the attack to assign two policemen to protect him was insufficient.
He also called on the international community to prioritize the issue of sexual violence against women in eastern Congo, a place which aid groups say is the most dangerous place on earth for women and children.
"I think that everyone can do something. I think that looking at Congo's problem as an issue that is far removed, compared to what happens here is creating exclusion. I don't accept this exclusion. I think that Congolese women deserve and have a right to be protected, just like any woman on this planet, and that is what I am trying to put across. I think that trying to partition this problem is a way of allowing it to go on, and leaving thousands of women to die because of indifference, and that is unacceptable," he said.
The European Commission, the EU's executive, already supports Mukwege's Panzi Hospital and said it would launch a new 20 million euro ($25.57 million) program to aid women victims of sexual assault in the Democratic Republic of Congo.