Médecins Sans Frontières has announced that it will evacuate its staff from hospitals in northern Yemen after a staff member died in the fourth airstrike on one of its facilities in 12 months.
The latest attack, which took place on 15 August, killed 11 people, including an unnamed MSF staff member, and injured 19. MSF says it is “neither satisfied nor reassured by the Saudi-led coalition's statement that this attack was a mistake”.
Following this, MSF has decided to evacuate its staff from the hospitals it supports in Saada and Hajjah governorates in Northern Yemen, concretely Haydan, Razeh, Al Gamouri, Yasnim hospitals in Saada and Abs and Al Gamouri hospitals in Hajjah.
MSF said that given the intensity of the current offensive and its loss of confidence in the coalition’s ability to avoid such fatal attacks, it considers “that the hospitals in Saada and Hajjah governorates are unsafe for both patients and staff”.
Joan Tubau, general director of MSF, said: “This latest incident shows that the current rules of engagement, military protocols and procedures are inadequate in avoiding attacks on hospitals, and need revision and changes.
“MSF asks the Saudi-led Coalition and the Governments supporting the Coalition, particularly US, UK and France, to ensure an immediate application of measures geared to substantially increasing the protection of civilians”.
MSF said it deeply regrets the consequences of this evacuation for its patients and its medical colleagues who will continue to work in the health facilities under unsafe conditions.
Before this evacuation, MSF was active in 11 hospitals and health centres in Yemen, and providing support to another 18 hospitals or health centres in eight governorates: Aden, Al-Dhale’, Taiz, Saada, Amran, Hajjah, Ibb and Sana’a. More than 2,000 MSF staff are currently working in Yemen, including 90 international staff.
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