The Benaco refugee camp, one of the first settled by Rwandans fleeing the brutal civil war in their homeland, was set up in late April/early May of 1994. It quickly filled with around 600,000 largely Hutu refugees. Because of its location near a main road and good water sources, Benaco has been one of the more orderly and stable camps for Rwandan war victims. Around fifty staff members of the French relief group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) have been providing various health services in Benaco, including inpatient and outpatient care, epidemic control, sanitation and special attention to infants and pregnant women.
