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War and conflict

More than one third of our projects are dedicated to providing assistance to people living in areas of war and armed conflict.

Armed conflict devastates lives. Targeted, harassed and trapped within hardship and poverty, people are often forced into flight. In other cases, people live under siege or in constant fear of  indiscriminate or even targeted attacks. In addition, people are often left impoverished without sufficient access to basic needs like food and medical care.

The consequences of war can be vast and catastrophic; from death and violence; to long-term lifechanging injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder; destroyed infrastructure and healthcare systems; as well as people being uprooted and forced to leave everything behind.

In conflict settings, depending on the priorities, we may set up operating theatres, clinics, nutrition programmes, epidemic control, medical care for victims of sexual violence, and maternity wards, among other services.

The consequences of war

 
South Sudan

Patient story - Nyajuba

Voices from the Field 5 Sep 2016
 
Dr Erlend Grønningen - Boost Hospital, Helmand, Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Empty beds are the face of war

Voices from the Field 26 Aug 2016
 
Boost Hospital, Lashkar Gah, Helmand, Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Patients still struggling to reach Boost hospital in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province

Project Update 26 Aug 2016
 
Ngala IDP camp, Nigeria - July 2017
Nigeria

Video: Testimonies from displaced women in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Voices from the Field 23 Aug 2016
 
 MSF supported hospital in Abs
Yemen

Indiscriminate bombings and unreliable reassurances from Saudi-led coalition force MSF to evacuate staff from six hospitals in the north

Press Release 18 Aug 2016
 
Airstrike hits Abs hospital in Hajjah
Yemen

Death toll rises to 19 in airstrike on MSF-supported Abs hospital in Hajjah

Project Update 16 Aug 2016

We don’t take sides

In conflict zones, we do not take sides. It’s crucial for us to talk with all parties in a conflict to obtain access and provide assistance to affected communities. We will speak out about the suffering we observe, as well as any gross violations we may witness while providing assistance to people caught up in war and conflict. 

One of the ways we can maintain our independence is to ensure that all our funding for work in conflicts comes from private donors. Globally we accept very few government grants – three per cent of our total funding – and in war zones we do not use funds from governments that have any sort of tie with the conflict. 

Despite not supporting any of the warring parties, we are not always present on all sides of a conflict. This may be either because access is not granted to us by one or more of the parties, or due to insecurity, or because the main needs of people are already covered.

Our teams do not always have the capacity to fill every gap, however, we always put people in need first and provide them with the best medical care possible, no matter where they are from, what they believe in, or who they support.

Up Next
1 June 2018