Amid escalating violence in Eastern Congo, demand for prosthetics soars

Thirty-year-old Melissa Hamuli struggles to move, her life forever changed after a bombing struck the town of Mubambiro in North Kivu earlier this year. Though she narrowly avoided amputation, her legs no longer function properly.

“War is not a good thing. It causes many to become disabled, others die,” she says. “We pray for it to end, and that the country’s leaders have mercy on us.”

Melissa is one of many patients at Shirika la Umoja, an orthopedic center on the front lines of eastern Congo’s conflict. The facility, supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross since 2005, has long provided prosthetics to the war-wounded. But as fighting has intensified, so has the demand.

Amani Jérôme Jean-Claude, another patient, lost his wife and four children in an attack by armed groups in April. He was gravely injured and had his leg amputated.

“When I arrived here, they welcomed me warmly… and when I tried the prosthetic, I felt like I could walk again,” he said.

Technician Julienne Paypay notes the shift: “In previous years, most patients were born with disabilities. Today, most are war amputees.”

Since early 2025, the center has treated more than 800 severely injured people. Prosthetic limb production has surged, from 422 in all of 2024 to 326 in just the first half of 2025. With no sign of the conflict easing, the demand is expected to grow.