By Farzeen  Amin

Our world is a combination of 7 beautiful continents. The continent of Africa has wide range of races and tribes living in one continent. In the wide range of colors the most highlighted colors of Africa unfortunately are the traditional rivalries, wars, conflicts, piracy and terrorism. The never ending conflicts in the region has brought down the humanity to suffering, famine ,hunger, diseases, starvation, illiteracy, unemployment, displaced people, refugee crises, child abuse and at worst of all the sexual assaults on women.

The Democratic Republic of Congo of is one of the countries of Africa who has suffered the consequences of two brutal wars, the first and second Congo wars. The crises is said to be the continuation of Rwanda crises. The first war of Congo started in 1996 leaving the country in severe political instability. The government was not accepted and appreciated by the general masses. The people of Congo were caught into a troublesome situation of rebels rising from every nook and corner. The unrest continued and gave birth to one of the deadliest wars in the history of the world, the second war of Congo. It is known to have taken lives of 5.4 million people and another 2 million people who were displaced inside the country. Where the people were dying with a every blink of eye there were few who strived day and night in the struggle of saving lives. The people like Denis Mukwege.

Denis Mukwege got birth in a house of Penetecostal area’s Minister on 1^st March, 1955. He has always been very close to the people so he decided to study in the field of medical to serve people. He completed the medical degree from Burundi in 1983 and started working as a Pediatrician in Lemera Hospital. The brutality on the women by the army rebels in the wars had effected Denis, he wanted to help the women had become victim of the sexual assault in the Congo Wars. The unbearable pain and suffering of women lead Denis to study Gynecology. He completed his degree in gynecology and Obstetrics from University of Angers, France in 1989.

One year after the second Congo war had started Denis founded Panzi Hospital in Bukavu. He had witnessed the pain of people especially young girls and women from up close. He had witnessed women dying because of the rapes and sexually brutality on them. The war had become dirty on every angle the inhuman monstrous actions of the rebel armies where nor questioned nor stopped by anyone. In the war where rape and sexual violence was used as a weapon to create terror and establish power Denis Mukwege fought back from the women side. He has treated and saved thousands of people who came to the Panzi Hospital in severe conditions. He performed surgeries to help them curb the injuries. Denis had become the last longing hope for the women of Congo.

Denis continued to help the deprived dying and suffering women. He presented his research for Ph.D on Traumatic fistulas in eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo in University Libre de Bruxelles. The work of for the protection of women did not end with founding Panzi Hospital but Denis highlighted the issue in United Nations in a speech in 2012. He criticized the use of sexual violence on women as a war weapon he pledged the UN to work for the safeguard of the women of Congo. In the same year Denis’s house was targeted by the terrorists who had kept his daughter as a hostage. In an unsuccessful attack the security guard of Denis lost his life. He had to flee from the country to save his life.