An MSF Statement on Programs in Hawa Adbi
On May 5, MSF was forced to temporarily suspend activities in the Hawa Abdi clinic after a security incident not related to MSF’s activities degenerated into a major clash.
Somalia 2008 © Philip Poupin
Parents with their child at an MSF program for malnutrition in Hawa Abdi, Somalia.
Nairobi, May 6, 2010 - On May 5, 2010, the medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was forced to temporarily suspend its activities in the Hawa Abdi clinic after a security incident not related to MSF’s activities degenerated into a major clash. The clinic was taken over by armed men and some Somali staff members were temporarily detained in the facility.
MSF had to evacuate its patients and refer them to other health structures. The organization is extremely concerned about their well being and is committed to restarting medical activities in Hawa Abdi as soon as the security situation allows.
MSF is still in the process of clarifying the exact circumstances surrounding yesterday’s incident and is grateful to local authorities in the region for assisting in this effort.
MSF wants to appeal, once again, to the different parties in Somalia to respect medical facilities and the medical staff working in them.
In Hawa Abdi, MSF runs an outpatient department, a pediatric inpatient department, a cholera and diarrhea treatment center, a nutrition program, and programs involving water trucking and the distribution of blankets and other non-food items. In Afgooye, MSF supports an outpatient department, an ambulatory feeding program, and the activities of the hospital by providing drugs and medical materials, as well as paying staff incentives.
MSF has worked in Somalia continuously since 1991 and currently provides medical services in eight regions: Banadir, Bay, Hiraan, Galgaduud, Lower Juba, Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle and Mudug.
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