International medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders/MSF) announced that it would shut down all operations in Somalia after 22 years of working there.
The group's international president, Unni Karunakara said:
MSF's departure will strip many civilians of access to health care, with the group providing outpatient treatment to over 600,000 people and performing over 2500 surgeries in the last year.
See the New York Times for full report.
The group's international president, Unni Karunakara said:
“The closure of our activities is a direct result of extreme attacks on our staff, in an environment where armed groups and civilian leaders increasingly support, tolerate or condone the killing, assaulting and abducting of humanitarian aid workers.”Over the years the group has endured dozens of attacks on staff members, vehicles and facilities. Sixteen MSF staff members have been killed in Somalia since 1991. According to the group, the killer responsible for the murders of two MSF staff in Mogadishu in December 2011 was granted an early release.
MSF's departure will strip many civilians of access to health care, with the group providing outpatient treatment to over 600,000 people and performing over 2500 surgeries in the last year.
See the New York Times for full report.