Paris, 30 March 2012 – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns the shelling of Daynile Hospital in Mogadishu, which took place Friday, March 30. The fighting began in the morning in this neighbourhood of Daynile, located in an outlying area of Mogadishu. The shelling struck the hospital’s emergency room and a portion of its surgical ward, causing significant damage. MSF has worked in the hospital since 2006.
There were no casualties among the hospital’s 19 patients or staff (36 medical personnel and 12 guards), all of whom are presently seeking shelter from the shelling in the internal medicine department.
MSF calls on the parties to the conflict to respect the neutrality of the Daynile Hospital, along with that of all medical facilities in Somalia, and to respect the safety of the hospital’s patients and staff.
MSF has maintained a continuous presence in Somalia since 1991. Currently, as part of their 13 countrywide projects, the organization provides medical services relating to the present emergency, conducts immunization campaigns, and implements feeding programmes. MSF also provides aid to Somali refugees in the camps of Dadaab in Kenya and Dolo Ado in Ethiopia.
Blanca Thiebaut and Montserrat Serra were abducted in Dadaab, Kenya on 13 October 2011, while providing humanitarian assistance to Somali refugees. MSF calls on all Somalis; the diaspora, community leaders and especially the authorities in control of areas in Somalia where its kidnapped colleagues are being detained, to do everything possible to facilitate their safe release.