Guard dies in attack on doctor

Published on 27/10/2012 00:24

Gunmen have killed a security guard and fired at a doctor who has helped thousands of Congolese women recover from ­violent rapes.

Four armed men attacked Dr Denis Mukwege’s home in Bukavu on Thursday night before making off in his car, South Kivu province governor Marcellin ­Cishambosaid yesterday .

The intruders held Dr Mukwege’s family at gunpoint and waited for him to return home from work, according to Physicians for Human Rights. When he arrived, they forced him out of his car and shot dead the security guard who tried to intervene. Shots were fired at Dr Mukwege as he managed to break free. The car was later found abandoned.

Dr Mukwege, 57, a gynaecologist, founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu where he and his team have treated more than 30,000 victims of violent rapes during the last decade. Many of the women and girls were gang-raped and needed surgery for their injuries.

The attack on his home highlights the increasingly volatile and violent situation in eastern Congo where several rebel groups operate.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack. He said: “Dr Mukwege’s heroic work has saved the lives of many thousands of women and girls who have been the victims of sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He continues to be a force for good, and Panzi Hospital a haven for the most vulnerable.”