We are horrified to hear the news of the killings of five humanitarian aid workers in northeast Nigeria. The aid workers are Action Against Hunger, the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), International Rescue Committee, Reach International and a security guard protecting humanitarian facilities, were abducted last month.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemns all forms of violence against humanitarian aid workers and medical assistance, in the strongest possible terms.
“We at MSF are devastated to hear this terrible news,” says Dr Christos Christou, International President of MSF. “We stand in solidarity and send our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of those killed in these brutal attacks.
“This is not the first time we have seen the deliberate targeting and execution of aid workers in Borno state. These murders come on top of similar atrocities in 2019, in which 12 aid workers were killed. MSF condemns, in the strongest possible terms, all violence against humanitarian aid workers.”
Attacks against aid workers deprive people in need, of medical assistance, including access to clean water, food and healthcare. In northeast Nigeria where conflict has raged for more than a decade and the humanitarian crisis has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 10 million people are estimated to require urgent assistance.
We urge all parties to ensure that populations in need have safe and unhindered access to urgent and life-saving medical assistance.
MSF in Nigeria
MSF is an international humanitarian medical organisation that assists populations in distress, victims of natural or man-made disasters and victims of armed conflicts irrespective of race, religion, creed or political conviction. MSF has worked continuously in Nigeria since 1996 and currently runs projects in seven states throughout the country.