A 75-year-old Irish missionary shot and wounded at her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is in a stable condition in hospital.
Maud Kells, who recently received an OBE for her work, was attacked by bandits at her residence in Mulita in the northeast of the country on Sunday night.
She was shot twice in the shoulder and later flown to a hospital in Nyunkunde, DRC.
A spokesman for the Christian aid organisation she works with, WEC International, said Ms Kells was “stable last night, speaking, recognising people, drinking water”.
“She has no broken bones, no major muscles hit and her bleeding has stopped,” he said.
He said doctors in the Congo were assessing her condition last night and considering whether to send her to Kampala for further treatment.
Originally from Cookstown, Co Tyrone, Ms Kells trained as a nurse at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital and is working in Africa for the WEC International mission agency.
Based there since 1968, Ms Kells had originally worked as a nurse and was also involved with training Congolese nurses and midwives in numerous hospitals and health centres.
She works in Africa for half the year and returns home for the remainder.
WEC director in Ireland Norman Cuthbert said the news about Ms Kells was very good, given that she could have been more seriously injured.
“ Maud is a very, very strong lady. She has a very strong faith, I am sure Maud will recover, although it has been a very frightening experience for her.”
Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Mid-Ulster Sandra Overend said the news that Ms Kells had been shot doing her work in the Congo was "shocking".
“I am sure that I share this sadness with so many people from Cookstown and across Mid-Ulster,” she said.
“Those that know Maud will hope that her usual determination will provide her with strength to recover from this terrible incident.”
Additional reporting: PA