He became a surgeon to help women give birth safely. In eastern Congo, he found himself treating women who had been raped as a weapon of war. Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist in Bukavu, founded Panzi Hospital in 1999 and has spent decades repairing the injuries of survivors and speaking out against the violence. In 2018, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nadia Murad.
Early life and Panzi Hospital
Mukwege was born in 1955 in Bukavu, in eastern Congo, the son of a Pentecostal pastor. He studied medicine in Burundi and later specialised in gynaecology and obstetrics in France. He founded Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in 1999, initially to provide maternal care. Soon, many patients were survivors of brutal sexual violence committed by armed groups. Mukwege and his team developed expertise in repairing severe injuries. Panzi also offers psychological support, legal help and economic programmes to help survivors rebuild their lives.
Speaking out and the Nobel
Mukwege has repeatedly denounced sexual violence in Congo and called for justice for victims, including at the United Nations. In 2012, armed men attacked his home, killing a guard. He briefly left the country but returned to continue his work. In 2018, the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Mukwege and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor of Islamic State captivity, for their efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war.
He received the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament in 2014, among other awards. In 2023, Mukwege ran for president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, receiving a small share of the vote.
The Mapping Report and a global voice
He has campaigned for action on the UN Mapping Report, which documented serious crimes in Congo from 1993 to 2003. Mukwege’s Christian faith has been central to his life and work. Patients and colleagues sometimes call Mukwege “Dr Miracle” for his surgical skill. He has trained other doctors to perform reconstructive surgery so that more survivors can be treated.
He has addressed parliaments, universities and international meetings, calling for an end to impunity for sexual violence in conflict and for support for survivors around the world. Denis Mukwege set out to deliver babies safely. The war around him turned him into one of the world’s most important voices against sexual violence.
