On July 20, in the afternoon hours, four Doctors Without Borders employees, four truck drivers and 10 other workers were detained by a group of armed men. The incident took place while transporting medical supplies to the Turkish Hospital in southern Khartoum, where Doctors Without Borders works.
Armed men attacked doctors
Published July 21, 2023 12:59
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After a dispute over the reasons for Doctors Without Borders' actions, armed men aggressively attacked the organization's employees, beating and flogging them. They also detained the driver of one of the vehicles. The armed men threatened the driver with death before letting him go. They then stole the vehicle. In the wake of this horrific incident, Doctors Without Borders warns that the organization's operations at this hospital are now in serious jeopardy and will not be able to continue unless minimum security guarantees are provided.
- To save lives, we cannot risk the life and health of our personnel. If similar incidents recur, if the ability to move and transport medical supplies continues to be hindered, our continued presence at the Turkish Hospital will unfortunately not be possible," says Christophe Garnier, immediate response manager of Doctors Without Borders in Sudan.
The Turkish Hospital is one of two continuously operating hospitals throughout southern Khartoum. Both facilities are supported by Doctors Without Borders. Doctors Without Borders is one of the last remaining international medical humanitarian organizations in the city. In addition to the hospitals in Southern Khartoum, they also support facilities in Eastern Khartoum and the city of Omdurman. The organization helps the Sudanese Ministry of Health keep the country's currently extremely unstable health care system operating. However, due to recent events and a series of previous incidents, Médecins Sans Frontières fear that their continued support will soon cease.
The incident occurred just 700 meters from the Turkish Hospital, where hundreds of patients, including children, are currently being treated. Yesterday alone, Médecins Sans Frontières admitted 44 patients injured by the airstrike. Three and a half weeks ago, the organization also admitted a large number of patients - including women and children - wounded by escalating fighting near the headquarters of the Central Reserve Police. Every day, the hospital receives about 15 patients wounded by hostilities, performs life-saving surgeries and keeps patients with chronic diseases alive. Médecins Sans Frontières teams work relentlessly in these difficult conditions to treat all those who need medical care. However, when staff leave the hospital, they are attacked and harassed.
Since the beginning of the escalation of the conflict in Sudan in mid-April, Doctors Without Borders has treated 1,600 wounded patients. The organization wants to continue to do so. However, security issues have deteriorated so much over the past few weeks that Doctors Without Borders' presence at the Turkish Hospital is in question.
Source: press mat.
