MSF released a statement informing the public of its operation suspension in Burkina Faso’s Boucle du Mouhoun region, after armed men attacked a vehicle that was carrying four of its employees.
MSF said two employees were killed during the attack while two others managed to escape.
“The two victims, both from Burkina Faso, had been employed by MSF as a driver, since July 2021, and a logistics supervisor, since June 2020,” read the statement.
“They were 39 and 34 years old, respectively,” it added.
Dr Isabelle Defourny, the president of MSF said she was outraged by the attack.
“We are shocked and outraged by this killing,” said Defourny, adding, “this is a deliberate and intentional attack on a clearly identified humanitarian team, during its medical work.”
Burkina Faso is facing an unprecedented political, security and humanitarian crisis, resulting in the displacement of nearly two million people following violence and fighting between armed groups and government forces.
Between July and December 2022, MSF teams working across the West African nation provided nearly 400,000 primary health consultations and assisted with the delivery of nearly 4,300 women.
Defourny said her organization is going to prioritize supporting the survivors and the loved ones of those that were killed during the attack.
“Our priority is to support the two colleagues who survived the attack, as well as the families and loved ones of our missing colleagues,” she said.
“We are also going to engage with all the parties to the conflict to understand what happened,” she added.
Some information in this report came from MSF and Reuters.
