The decision to evacuate the facility has not been taken lightly. MSF had managed to provide continuous hands-on, life-saving treatment in the facility for almost 14 months, despite many, often deliberate, obstructions from the warring parties. However, as a result of recent events, this hands-on support is now no longer possible.
“The situation in the Turkish Hospital, located in an RSF-controlled area, has become untenable. 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,” says Claire Nicolet, head of MSF’s emergency response in Sudan.
“Most-recently, on the nights of June 17 and 18, dozens of wounded combatants were brought to the Turkish Hospital, and our team was aggressively woken up as Kalashnikovs were fired into their bedrooms. 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. They cannot have their lives put at-risk as they try to save the lives of other people.”