After 10 years in camps in Myanmar, Rohingya mental health continues to suffer

In 2012, when violence erupted between Rohingya and Rakhine communities, Zaw Rina’s home in Pauktaw town was burned down. She was forced to flee with her family to a camp in Ah Nauk Ywe on a difficult-to-reach island in the remote western part of the state. The impermanence of the fragile bamboo structure she lives … Read more

A slow road to recovery for the city of two springs: Five years after the battle of Mosul, people still need support

In October 2016, the military offensive to retake the city from the Islamic State group (ISg) began. The battle was officially declared “over” five years ago, on 10 July 2017. For the people of Mosul, life has slowly resumed, but rebuilding the city is still taking time, and the healthcare system is no exception to … Read more

Left to drown in the Southern European Border: One year of Geo Barents at sea

One year of operations in the Central Mediterranean have passed by, this time with the Geo Barents – Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) vessel – rescuing 3,138 people and conducting 6,536 medical consultations before disembarking in a place of safety in Europe. Following last week’s tragic rescue, the sad reality at the Southern European border has … Read more

Access to healthcare in northwest Syria at risk over potential last border crossing closure

Out of 4.4 million people living in northwest Syria, 4.1 million need humanitarian aid. More than 60 per cent are internally displaced people (IDPs). They will soon lose access to desperately needed humanitarian and medical aid, unless the UN cross-border resolution (UNSCR 2585) is renewed by the UN Security Council on 10 July 2022. Cross-border … Read more

Data and patient accounts reveal “no mercy” for civilians in Ukraine war

Medical data and accounts from patients evacuated on Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) medical referral train show that the war in Ukraine is being conducted with an outrageous lack of care to distinguish and protect civilians. Over 40 percent of the war-wounded on the train have been elderly people and children with blast wounds, traumatic amputations, … Read more

Ukraine: “When the soldiers took over the clinic, I treated patients in my home”

Between 25 February and early April, the town of Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, was the scene of brutal fighting, and for a time was under the control of Russian forces. As soon as it was relatively safe to do so, an MSF team began to work with local healthcare professionals to restart medical … Read more

MSF denounces the inhumane treatment of migrants turned back from Algeria and Libya

From January to May 2022, MSF recorded 14,196 migrants expelled from Algeria, including 6,749 non-Nigeriens. Some 139 of these migrants were women, and 30 were minors. Approximately two thousand migrants are expelled from Algeria and Libya every month on average, including people with severe injuries, rape victims, and people suffering from serious trauma. Upon expulsion, … Read more

Gaza: Some wounds never heal

From 10 to 21 May 2021, Israeli airstrikes and shelling on the Gaza Strip killed 256 people, including 66 children. Around 2,000 Palestinians were injured during the bombing, including over 600 children, some of whom sustained injuries resulting in long-term disabilities such as loss of limbs or eyesight. In Israel, there were 13 deaths and 700 injuries as a result … Read more

Violence and displacement in Ippy mirror people’s daily reality in CAR

In early 2022, the area of Ippy, in the centre of the Central African Republic (CAR), experienced renewed clashes between rebel groups and government troops supported by allied forces. Fleeing violence, thousands of people from rural villages rushed to Ippy town and the sites for internally displaced people (IDP) that popped up there in recent months … Read more

“We rushed her to the red zone”: Saving a young life in Afghanistan

Her name was Tahera*. She had been brought to the MSF-supported Herat Regional Hospital the day before by her parents; with a red, blotchy rash spreading down her little body. After being assessed by our medical team she was admitted to our measles intensive care unit where we already had close to 50 patients although, … Read more