Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural or man-made disasters.
Following the tragic killings of Philippe Havet and Dr Karel Keiluhu in Mogadishu, MSF is forced to end all activities in the Hodan district of the capital. For now, MSF projects will continue to provide medical care in other districts of the capital, as well as 10 locations throughout Somalia. However, the continuation of MSF work to assist Somalis in need of medical care is dependent upon the respect for personnel, patients and medical facilities.
MSF teams began working in Misrata’s detention centres in August 2011, to treat war-wounded detainees. Since then, MSF doctors were increasingly confronted with patients who suffered injuries caused by torture during interrogation sessions. The interrogations were held outside the detention centres. In total, MSF treated 115 people who had torture-related wounds and reported all the cases to the relevant authorities in Misrata. Since January, several of the patients returned to interrogation centres have even been tortured again.
In the state of Jonglei, South Sudan, civilians continue to bear the brunt of inter-communal fighting. Wounded patients are still arriving at the MSF hospital in Pibor, three weeks after the violent attack on the town and outlying villages. Many were injured after having fled into the bush, where thousands have remained, afraid to come out of hiding.
January 12, 2010 will forever remain engraved in Haiti's collective memory. Nearly everyone in the country lost a relative, friend or neighbour in the earthquake that hit that day, and many survivors continue to suffer physical or psychological after-effects. The piles of rubble and gaping holes in the streets of Port-au-Prince show that the city itself still bears the scars as well.
MSF calls on all Somalis; the diaspora, community leaders and especially the authorities in control of areas in Somalia where its kidnapped colleagues are being detained, to do everything possible to facilitate their safe release.