“The situation in the Turkish hospital, located in a Rapid Support Forces-controlled area, has become untenable,” says Claire Nicolet, head of MSF’s emergency response in Sudan. “Multiple violent incidents have taken place inside and outside the premises over the past 12 months, and the lives of our staff have been repeatedly threatened.”
“Most-recently, on the nights of 17 and 18 June, dozens of wounded combatants were brought to the Turkish hospital, and our team was aggressively woken up as Kalashnikovs were fired into their bedrooms,” says Nicolet. “This type of violence against our staff is unacceptable.”
“Hospitals and health facilities should be protected and respected by the warring parties as sanctuaries for the sick and wounded where health workers can safely deliver medical care,” continues Nicolet. “They cannot have their lives put at-risk as they try to save the lives of other people.”
Over the past year, MSF staff working at the Turkish hospital have been frequently harassed both inside the facility and on the street going to and from work. Many have been threatened with arrest. At the start of June, one MSF employee was arrested inside the hospital by two armed men, taken to an unknown location, and severely beaten.
Fonte original msf.org
