Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo—As violence once again shakes the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mission Aviation Fellow (MAF) pilots and planes are on standby to evacuate relief and mission workers who request assistance.

On Wednesday, Nov. 21, MAF families were evacuated from the town of Bunia, where MAF has a base, to Kampala in Uganda. MAF also carried two plane loads of staff from other agencies to safety in Uganda. Three MAF pilots remain in DRC with three aircraft.

This latest round of violence began earlier this week when the M23 rebel group attacked the eastern DRC town of Goma. It has since spread to other towns in the region.

MAF has ministered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 50 years. The organization currently has nine planes serving from bases in Kinshasa, Bunia, and Lubumbashi.