Congo-Brazzaville: The Forgotten Crisis – An Interview with Isabelle Mouniaman-Nara,
Desk manager at Médecins Sans Frontières, Paris
By Linda Bouzembrak, with Helidah Ogude and Imoite Omulepu

On behalf of the editorial staff of Perspectives on Global Issues (PGI), a journal founded and edited by graduate students in the Center for Global Affairs at New York University, I would like to thank you, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), for contributing to the upcoming issue of the journal, to be published in late April.

The mission of PGI is to provide an in-print forum for the discussion of issues that are critically relevant to the global community.  The upcoming edition of the journal will focus on the topic of ‘human security’. According to the Human Security Center, “[human security] is now widely used to describe the complex of interrelated threats to individuals and communities associated with civil war, genocide and the displacement of populations.”

PGI: In recent months, the fighting in Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has displaced thousands of people living in the area.  Since October 2009, an estimated 114,000 people have fled the conflict across the Oubangui River to neighboring Republic of Congo. With the announcement of a full scaling back of the UN mission in DRC, the likelihood of the current situation turning into a full-blown crisis is strong. However, the international community has paid little attention to the crisis. Having recently returned from the area, could you please shed some light on the situation and provide us with an overview of MSF projects in the remote areas of northern Republic of Congo?

Isabelle Mouniaman-Nara: MSF is intervening in the North, west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, after  100,000 Congolese civilians, more or less, fled the DRC due to last October’s clashes. All of these people crossed the Oubangui River into the Republic of Congo and found refuge along the river, in an area of about 500 km (311 miles), and are mainly located in the two main districts of the department. MSF intervened very early on, as soon as November. We have a hospital in the district and several health centers as well as mobile clinics. So it is a medical intervention, but we also address the problem of access to water, due to the low season in the Oubangui River, which is the main source of water for the population. We have installed small water sanitation projects in the area and we are also distributing potable water.

One of the main problems today is the seasonal peak of malaria, and in our medical infrastructures, we have more and more children hospitalized with malaria.

Access to food is also a problem, as the majority of the people in the villages were present before the influx of their “neighbors”. They are exceeded four of five times by the number of refugees, which creates a critical food situation, as local food resources have to be shared.  WFP is facing logistical problems delivering the food because it is a very isolated region and a landlocked department, making it very difficult to access. Moreover, the main access route is the river; given the current low water season, the level of the river does not allow for large and heavy boats. So it is a complex situation from a medical and logistical standpoint, as the population is lacking water and food.  Everyone on the ground is working to improve the situation, but it takes time.

PGI: As you have described it, you are facing many logistical issues, given the low level of water in the river. What are the creative solutions MSF or other NGOs are implementing in order to reach the refugees?

IM: We built some pumping stations using the water from the river and are sanitizing it for distribution to the villages. Additionally, we have built or rehabilitated wells in the most critical villages. Other NGOs such as the Red Cross, are doing the same. There is also one area, further south down the river, where the population is still fleeing the fighting in DRC, where it is difficult to assess the humanitarian needs given the security threat, due to some conflict spillover. But MSF is planning to send, very soon, an exploration team to assess the needs in this region, where we believe 60,000 people or more are located with no access of health services and very limited access to water and food.

PGI: How do you provide security to MSF members? How do other organizations, such as WFP, provide security to their teams?

IM: We have actually been working in this area for quite some time now, so we know the region and the population. Moreover, it is very important for us to indicate to the population that we are an independent humanitarian organization, so we are informing them that we are only in the humanitarian field and not part of the United Nations; nor are we associated with the government. This idea of neutrality and impartiality is very important for the population and the authorities who always welcome us. As of today, we have never faced any security incidents in Congo; we have regular contact with the army, the police and the government, so our security is somewhat guaranteed.

PGI: To conclude the interview, as we are a graduate student-run journal, what would be your advice for students who aspire to work for an NGO such as MSF? What do you think would best prepare them? Which skills are the most important for success on this path?

IM: First, you need to have the right profile: for instance, at MSF we are a medical team, so primarily doctors, nurses, and surgeons, but also administrators and logistical persons.  If you fit into the first profile, the second would be curiosity: curiosity to help other people and curiosity to explore what is going on outside of our home.  Curiosity, we often forget about it.

Isabelle Mouniaman-Nara, a registered nurse, joined MSF in 1999.  After her first two missions in Angola and Abkhazia, she held numerous Project Coordinator positions in various contexts (both emergencies and non emergencies), in numerous African nations. She was the Head of Mission and Medical coordinator in Haiti for 15 months.  Since joining the Operational Department at Paris HQ at the beginning of this year, her portfolio includes five countries, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Mission France and the Republic of Congo.  Ms. Mouniaman has a Masters of Science in Public Health Nutrition, from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Linda Bouzembrak was born and raised in France from an Algerian father and a French mother in a diverse community outside of Paris, Linda has been exposed to a variety of cultures and civilizations at very early age. After graduating from a French university with a double major in finance and accounting, Linda joined a well-respected financial consulting company and was assigned to projects in France, Finland and the United States.  Her diverse background and international work experience have had a strong influence on Linda’s interest in global affairs. In the summer of 2009, Linda attended classes in Bilgi University (Istanbul – Turkey) on the European Union relations with Turkey, which is her area of interest.  Today, Linda is graduating from New York University’s (NYU) Masters of Science in Global Affairs program where she concentrated on International Relations. During her studies, Linda interned as a research assistant at the International Center for Transitional Justice, Middle East – North Africa division, and as a research assistant at the French-American Foundation, Media Coverage of Immigration division.

Ms. Helidah Ogude is currently studying towards her Masters in Global Affairs, with a focus on Peace-building and Development in Africa. Her passion for the field was in part influenced by her experiences growing up in South Africa and Kenya. She holds an undergraduate degree in Corporate Finance and Marketing and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management, both from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. She has since worked as a volunteer mentor for aspiring South African youth entrepreneurs and as a consultant at Ernst & Young and Siemens.

Mr. Omulepu is currently a student at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs focusing on private sector development in Africa. A native New Yorker, Mr. Omulepu grew up in a diverse household with parents from both Panama and Kenya. Mr. Omulepu earned his undergraduate degree in Music Business from Howard University, Washington, DC. Serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa, from 2002-2004, Mr. Omulepu collaborated with the area hospital and regional Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to establish sustainable strategies for fighting HIV/AIDS. Prior to pursuing his M.S. in Global Affairs, Mr. Omulepu worked in the private sector for companies including, The North Face Inc. and Citigroup.