MSF calls for respect of civilians in northern Mali

All parties to the conflict in Mali must avoid harming civilians and health structures, the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced today. Civilians have been affected by armed conflict over the last few days in Konna and by bombings in Lere and Douentza, a town in the northeast of Mali's Mopti region. An MSF medical team is supporting medical activities in a hospital in Douentza. Mali October 2012. Simon Rolin, MSF | District of Koutiala, Mali. MSF has been operating a large-scale strategy and pilot project for the preventive treatment of malaria, called seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC). Antimalarial treatments have been administered to some 165,000 children aged between 3 months and 5 years old. The initial results are highly encouraging, with a 65% drop in the number of malaria cases. “Because of the bombings and fighting, nobody is moving in the streets of Douentza and patients are not making it through to the hospital,” said Rosa Crestani, MSF emergency response coordinator. “We are worried about the people living close to the combat zones, and we call on all the parties to the conflict to respect the safety of civilians and to leave medical facilities untouched.” On January 10 and 11 MSF received reports of numerous deaths and injuries from armed conflict in Konna, including civilians, according to Mego Terzian, doctor and MSF’s manager for the emergency response in Mali. Map: MSF activities i...
Source: MSF News - Category: Global & Universal Tags: Mali Mauritania Refugees & IDPs NEWS Press Release Frontpage Source Type: news