An unknown illness has killed more than 50 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to doctors in the country and global health authorities. The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases,

MONUSCO, the U.N. peacekeeping force in the DRC, said the reported killings were under investigation but remained unverified.

Until now, the international response to the rapidly escalating crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has committed a litany of grave abuses, has been all talk and no action.

It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news of the passing of our colleague, Jerry Muhindo Kavali, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He died today from the gunshot wound he suffered while at the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) base in Masisi town, North Kivu, during clashes between the VDP/Wazalendo and the M23/AFC on 20 February.