Five Health Facilities Shut Down in Mwenye After ADF Attacks

Lubero, North Kivu - January 26, 2026 - Five health centers and several health posts have closed in the Mwenye area following renewed insecurity marked by the killing of civilians attributed to suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels. Facilities in Mausa, Pombi, Mandelya, Musenge, and the Masoy referral health center have ceased operations. The Masoy center, located in the main town of Mwenye, has reportedly been closed for about a week. This development has worsened the humanitarian crisis in an area already heavily affected by persistent violence. Civil society leaders have condemned the silence of the authorities, saying the insecurity has paralyzed socio-economic activities across the Mwenye group in the Baswagha chiefdom, deepening a sense of abandonment among residents. “Given the situation we are experiencing, nurses have been a great help to the population. Even members of armed groups and their families were receiving care free of charge. But the pressure on the Biambwe health center forced our nurses to close the facility,” said Kambale Muthano Jérémie Mutumwa, president of the New Congolese Civil Society. “This complicates life for the entire population, because all facilities in Mandelya, Pombi, Mausa, Masoya, and Musenge have now closed. We are not against healthcare workers. We only ask the government to ensure the safety of the population, including health facilities, so that professionals can work in decent conditions.” Faced with this situation, healthcare workers are urgently calling on military authorities to intervene and fully implement Operation Shujaa, a joint operation between the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the UPDF (Ugandan People’s Defence Force). Since 2024, the Mwenye area has remained in a state of chronic instability, marked by massacres of civilians, mass displacement, the closure of schools, and now the shutdown of health facilities. The latest violence occurred on the night of Tuesday, January 21, when suspected ADF fighters killed five civilians and burned about ten houses in the village of Mavwe-Mavwe, in the Mandelya district. Four women were among the victims.