UNICEF condemns abduction of 2 health workers in eastern DR Congo

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners denounced this week's abduction of two health workers in the eastern province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in a statement obtained here on Saturday. "A rural development expert and an accountant for Binja health zone in Rutshuru territory were kidnapped not far away from the Ugandan border by armed men when they were carrying out a vaccination campaign," UNICEF said in reference to Thursday's kidnapping. The UN agency reiterated that health and vaccination are the rights of children and the entire population and should remain accessible to all. About 2.4 million people are currently displaced in DR Congo and have been living without access to essential services. Women and children are the most affected. Amid insecurity caused by armed groups in the eastern part of the Central African country, humanitarian workers often complain that they cannot reach certain areas to vaccinate children against diseases such as polio.