MSF Yemen condemns strikes against medical centres

Doctors without Borders (MSF) on Wednesday condemned the repeated attacks on its medical facilities in Yemen.

Coinciding with International Day of Non-Violence, the international medical humanitarian organisation took to Twitter to remind all parties in the conflict to respect international law and to ensure the safety of patients and medical staff alike.

MSF said that its facilities in Yemen had been targeted on six occasions in different locations. The organisation currently operates in ten provinces to help provide health solely on the basis of medical need without discrimination.

Since 2015, MSF supported Facilities in #Yemen have been hit 6 times in different areas of the country. We call on all warring parties to respect international law and ensure that patients, medical staff and medical facilities are protected. #Non_Violence_Day pic.twitter.com/3oXdIMbZLV

— MSF Yemen (@msf_yemen) October 2, 2019

In separate tweets stressing that violence against medical staff and patients is unacceptable, MSF also highlighted that it has treated 132,859 wounded Yemenis since the Saudi-led coalition launched its military intervention in March 2015.

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A report by the Yemeni Press Agency cited some of the violations against MSF carried out by the coalition including one in October 2015 which saw a coalition aircraft targeting an MSF field hospital in the Haydan area of Saada governorate.

Less than two months later, a coalition aircraft targeted a mobile medical clinic in Al-Hawban area of Taiz province.

Coalition air strikes also targeted an MSF ambulance in Saada governorate, killing seven MSF staff members and injuring others in January 2016. An MSF-supervised Abs Rural Hospital in Hajjah province was directly bombed in August 2018. It was also reported that an MSF cholera treatment clinic was bombed in Abs in June 2018.

The organisation issued a statement protesting the serious violations against its medical facilities in the city of Taiz during the conflict between rival factions in March, during which health facilities were stormed and patients were killed by rival militias.

MSF has previously condemned the coalition for targeting civilians.