Military Hospital Overwhelmed by the Influx of Injured from Battles with M23

The Kamenge military hospital, located north of Bujumbura, is overwhelmed by the influx of Burundian soldiers injured during clashes in DRC against M23 rebels. Civil society observers report to Africa Security Analysis (ASA) that premises normally reserved for mothers and children have been requisitioned to accommodate these wounded. Many patients awaiting surgical consultations have had their appointments postponed or cancelled. A sixty-year-old man was indignant: "I had been waiting for my appointment for two weeks. Today, they told me it is cancelled and that I must find another doctor. It's shocking."

The army make sure the injured soldiers don’t communicate with others

From the outside, the activity seems normal with hospitalized children and patients coming for X-rays. However, inside, the situation is different. In the mother-child unit, intended for pregnant women and children under 15, several bedridden men suffer from severe head, arm, and leg injuries. "Yesterday, two of us were transferred to intensive care," a wounded soldier said anonymously for fear of reprisals. Another wounded soldier specified: "We were hit during battles against M23 in DRC." Fear is palpable among these hospitalized soldiers. "It’s like they are watching each other," our contact remarked. A Burundian army colonel regularly inspects the rooms to control the situation and ensure no intruders communicate with the soldiers.