The International Committee of the Red Cross warned today of the risk of spreading viruses – including Ebola – from a laboratory in Goma due to the violent fighting of the city in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The regional director of the International Red Cross Committee, Patrick Youssef, told a press conference in Geneva that the authority “is very concerned about the situation in the Laboratory of the National Institute for Biomedical Medical Research”, and calls for “preserving samples that may be affected by the clashes, which may cause unimaginable consequences The bacteriological strains of which they housed, including the Ebola virus. “
Youssef added that the organization – which is based in Geneva – calls for “preserving samples that may be affected by clashes.”
He pointed out that this situation “may lead to unimaginable consequences in the event of the spread of bacterial strains, including the Ebola virus” that “maintains the laboratory.”
Youssef explained that this laboratory is located in a “very close” place from the ICRC mission in Gouma, adding that he does not have information about the situation in other laboratories.
Goma is witnessing battles between the Congolese armed forces and the M -23 fighters supported by the Rwandan forces.
The militants of the M23 entered the evening of Sunday to the city, with a population of more than a million people, and there are almost the same number of displaced people, after a kidnapper progress for weeks that began after a mediation failure between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda under the auspices of Angola in Last December.
The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern about the devastating influence on the civilian population due to the ongoing armed clashes in the vicinity and inside of the city of Guma.
In a statement, the organization expressed its regret for “the massive flow of people with bullets and explosive ammunition to the establishments supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross, especially the” CBCI “hospital in Goma.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has treated more than 600,000 wounded since the beginning of January, about half of them civilians.
Despite the violent confrontations and continuous bombing, the surgical teams of the International Committee of the Red Cross are still able to treat the victims who continue to reach dozens.
Myriam Fafih, head of the sub -mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gouma, said in the statement that “the wounded is transferred to motorcycles, and others are transferred by buses or with the help of volunteers from the Congolese Red Cross, and civilians are seriously injured by bullets and shrapnel, the hospital has been filled, and the surgical teams work The three are tireless to treat patients who sometimes wait lying on the ground due to a lack of space. “
“We receive a large number of calls from injured, helpless and left -wing people to face the difficulties of life themselves,” said Francois Moreon, head of the State State Commission for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.