Doctors Without Borders refutes the accusation of Collaborating with the Ambazonia fighters in the South West Region of Cameroon
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Below is the statement directly from Doctors without Borders in relation to the accusation by the Cameroonian government that the International Humanitarian Organisation is collaborating with the Separatist Fighters in the South West Region
On Saturday night, the emergency call center of the humanitarian medical organization Doctors Without Borders (or Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) received a call related to a wounded person in need of urgent assistance in the Tinto health area. One of our ambulances managed to pick him up the next morning at Ashum area and given his severe condition, he had to be transferred to Mutengene via Kumba for surgical attention.
As agreed and regularly done, MSF had contacted the local military authorities beforehand, informed them about the transfer of a wounded patient to Mutengene and shared his age and gender as requested. The ambulance was however stopped by Cameroonian security forces at the Nguti check point and forced to return to Mamfe, where the patient had to be treated and stabilized.
Since then, to avoid further incidents with our ambulances, we have been in touch with the authorities to understand the reason for the miscommunication with this reference. Regarding this incident and the allegations published in some media, MSF has to remind that:
1.- In our work in Cameroon, and elsewhere in the world, MSF treats people based on medical need, regardless of their background or affiliations. This impartial and neutral medicalhumanitarian work is notably protected the Geneva Conventions, who specify that persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria
2.- Hindering and obstructing our work put patients’ lives at risk.
3.- Allegations of complicity with any actor in a conflict puts patients and MSF staff in grave and immediate danger.
4.- We appeal everyone to be responsible in their statements and publications relating to our humanitarian action in the country. The spread of information that damages our reputation as a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization puts the lives of our teams and patients in an already very sensitive context in danger.
We have been working in Cameroon since 1984. Today, we implement healthcare projects in the Far North, South West and in Yaoundé supporting access to healthcare in communities and hospitals, providing surgical care, malaria treatment, treatment for COVID-19 and health promotion. In 2020, we treated more than a million patients in Cameroon. In December 2020, MSF activities have been suspended by the authorities in the North-West region and we are still in dialogue with them in order to restart of our medical support. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has currently dispatched medical teams to Ekondo-Titi and Bakassi health districts in the
Southwest region of Cameroon where a cholera epidemic has been raging.
read the full statement below
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
