A woman walks past building damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The surrounded southern city of Mariupol, where the war has produced some of the greatest human suffering, remained cut off despite earlier talks on creating aid or evacuation convoys.
Crisis Response

Conflict

More than one-third of our humanitarian and medical assistance is for people affected by armed conflict.
More than one-third of our humanitarian and medical assistance is for people affected by armed conflict.

Armed conflict devastates lives. Targeted, harassed and trapped within hardship and poverty; people are often forced into flight. In other cases, people live under siege or in constant fear of indiscriminate or even targeted attacks. In addition, people are often left impoverished without sufficient access to basic needs like food and medical care.
 
Comprehensive medical and humanitarian support is vital, but health services are often scarce. In conflict zones, we do not take sides.

We provide care based on needs alone and work to reach those who require medical attention, regardless of which side of the frontline they happen to be.

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Conflict and Health

Conflict and health

HOW DOES CONFLICT DAMAGE NATIONAL HEALTH?

Armed conflict causes injury, displacement and death. Even after the guns have fallen silent, conflict continues to affect people’s health.

It devastates essential health services, disrupts medical supplies, forces medical staff to flee and leaves health systems broken, so when deadly diseases arrive they’re even harder to fight.

For people caught up in violence or its aftermath, it is more important than ever to have access to healthcare, shelter, sanitation and food.

Midwife_iraq
You can still see a lot of anger and pain in people’s eyes wherever you go. ABDULRAHMAN DHANNOON KHALEEL, MSF PROJECT COORDINATOR SUPPORT
IRAQ

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MSF Flag Cameroon
Armed conflict

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Press Release 11 Jan 2023
 
MSF, Doctors Without Borders, Karsten Noko in Bangladesh
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MSF offices in Palestine
Armed conflict

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MSF, Doctors Without Borders, Haiti, Cité Soleil, armed clashes
Armed conflict

Haiti: Thousands of people trapped by armed clashes in Cité Soleil

Press Release 12 Jul 2022
 
MSF, Doctors Without Borders, Burkina Faso, lack of access to care
Access to Healthcare

I now live in fear: Kongousi, Centre-Nord region – Burkina Faso

Patient and Staff Stories 29 Jun 2022