An international medical charity said Thursday it is suspending operations in northwest Burkina Faso after two of its employees were shot dead by gunmen on Wednesday. Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said in a statement that gunmen opened fire on their clearly marked vehicle on Wednesday morning, killing two staff members. Two others managed to escape.
The vehicle was transporting a medical team of four on the road between Dédougou and Tougan when it was targeted. The medical charity said the deceased were nationals of Burkina Faso, employed as a driver and a logistics supervisor.
“MSF has suspended its activities in the Boucle du Mouhoun region until the organization will have a better understanding of this tragic event,” the statement said.
The charity said between July and December 2022, its teams in Burkina Faso worked in four regions, providing nearly 400,000 primary health consultations and assisting in the delivery of nearly 4,300 women.
Nearly two million people have been displaced in this West African country following violence and fighting between armed groups and government forces. MSF has suspended its activities in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, until the organisation will have a better understanding of this tragic event.
“We are shocked and outraged by this killing. This is a deliberate and intentional attack on a clearly identified humanitarian team, during its medical work. Our priority is to support the two colleagues who survived the attack, as well as the families and loved ones of our missing colleagues. We are also going to engage with all the parties to the conflict to understand what happened,” Defourny said.
MSF said Burkina Faso was facing an unprecedented political, security and humanitarian crisis, resulting in the displacement of nearly two million people, following violence and fighting between armed groups and government forces.
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