By Bunmi Yekini
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced the death of Jerry Muhindo Kavali, a longtime colleague, who succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained during clashes in Masisi, North Kivu. He was 49.
Kavali was shot on February 20 while at the MSF base in Masisi, caught in crossfire between the VDP/Wazalendo and the M23/AFC armed groups. Despite being transferred to a hospital in Goma the following day for advanced medical care, he did not survive.
“We stand by his family at this difficult time and send our deepest condolences to all his loved ones and colleagues in Masisi,” MSF said in a statement.
Described as a “much-loved colleague” known for his “constant smile, dedication, and kindness,” Kavali had worked with MSF since 2014. His death comes amid escalating violence targeting humanitarian facilities in eastern DRC.
“The whole MSF family is in mourning today. We also feel anger, as his tragic death comes against a backdrop of increasing violence in and around health and humanitarian facilities,” the statement read.
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MSF condemned the attack, calling on all armed groups to respect humanitarian work.
“We reiterate our strongest condemnation of the lack of respect for humanitarian work. It is this lack of respect that led to Jerry’s death. Sadly, these incidents are becoming more commonplace during this conflict,” MSF said, urging warring parties to remember that “even war has rules.”
The MSF base in Masisi and its hospital continue to shelter displaced families and treat casualties of the ongoing conflict. On the day Kavali was shot, 11 civilians—seven of them women and children—were treated for gunshot wounds at Masisi hospital.
MSF has operated in the Masisi health zone since 2007, supporting multiple hospitals and health centers in the region.