Ouagadougou/London, 23 April 2012 – Humanitarian support for the 46,000 Malians having taken refuge in Burkina Faso since mid-January is inadequate and insufficient, MSF is saying today. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are providing emergency medical aid in refugee camps in Oudalan Province, in the north of the country. More than three quarters of these refugees have ended up in this desert area where aid is very limited and where needs outstrip resources. Clashes between Tuareg rebels and the army in northern Mali have driven over a quarter of a million people to flee into Mali’s interior and neighbouring countries. In Burkina Faso, now home to the second-largest... Continue Reading
Nouakchott/London, 19 April 2012 – Since late January, some 57,000 Malian refugees have arrived at Mbera refugee camp in Mauritania. Numbers of refugees are increasing, from 200 arrivals daily two weeks ago (5 April) to 1,500 two days ago. In response, Médecins SansFrontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is stepping up its work in this area, where access to medical care is extremely limited. Fighting between the Malian army, the Tuareg movement and other armed groups is forcing thousands to flee to Fassala, Mauritania, 3 kilometers from the Malian border. “The presence of armed groups and political uncertainty in Mali is generating fear and panic among the people,” says Elisabetta Maria Faga, MSF’s field coordinator.... Continue Reading
London, April 4, 2012: On the morning of Wednesday, April 4, two MSF staff members—Cedric, a nurse, and Marius, a logistician—were kidnapped near Nyanzale in North Kivu Province while traveling by car. Hours later, they were released unharmed. Given the seriousness of this incident, MSF evacuated its team working in the hospital Nyanzale and in two health centers in the area. MSF is therefore suspending some of its activities in North Kivu pending a full review of MSF’s work and practices in light of the deteriorating security situation in the province, which is having profound impact on the population and on the ability of relief... Continue Reading
By Yiga Stuart, Kampala Uganda – Tom Kitandwe, owner of Galiraaya and Gazaland buildings, among other properties, was one of the over 100 people rounded-up in relation to AIP Ariong’s death. The owner of a construction site where a stone that killed Assistant Inspector of Police John Michael Ariong reportedly originated was among the people rounded up on Saturday and seriously tortured at the offices of the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka. In what appears to be a vicious campaign to avenge the death of Ariong, police officers and a motley gang of security operatives stormed the site on Ben Kiwanuka... Continue Reading
Harare, March 26, 2012: Government and civil society in Zimbabwe need to work together to provide a diverse and true reflection of the status of women in Zimbabwe, according to a young women’s rights activist who just returned from the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting in New York City. “We had the privilege of attending the South African government-hosted session and witnessing our own session. We realized that there was not much coordination between government and civil society, which is a learning point in that, if we do collaborate, it helps us grow and... Continue Reading
