Below is an update on Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)’s activities in Mali by region.
Douentza
- On Monday in Douentza, the MSF team working in the local hospital spent most of the day in hiding, waiting for the bombing to stop
- The team did not receive any wounded patients following the attacks
Timbuktu
- Last weekend in Timbuktu, MSF treated nine wounded people, three of whom required surgery
Konna
- MSF teams are prioritising attempts to reach the town of Konna and surrounding area, located in the centre of the country
- MSF is negotiating access to the region in order to assess medical and humanitarian needs; once access has been attained, MSF plans to carry out mobile clinics and will be able to transfer wounded patients to the city of Mopti, where we have been working for several months
Gao
- MSF is organising mobile clinics on the outskirts of the city of Gao and working at the Ansongo hospital, 100 kilometres south of the city
Neighbouring countries: Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso
- MSF is also concerned about the fate of civilians fleeing the interior of the country and new refugees arriving in the neighbouring countries of Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso
- Nearly 500 refugees recently crossed the border with Mauritania, arriving at the Fassala camp; MSF’s medical teams checked their health and vaccinated children against measles
- MSF reports that more than 400 new refugees have also arrived in Burkina Faso and Niger
MSF’s teams in Mali include approximately 450 Malian and 50 international staff. For the last several months, they have been working in Mali in the regions of Gao, Timbuktu and Mopti, providing primarily surgical and medical care and nutritional services. MSF is also working in the southern part of the country, with nutritional activities in the region of Koutiala, and with Malian refugees in the neighbouring countries of Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso.
For more information or for interviews, please contact Sandra Smiley, MSF UK Press Officer, on +44 7889 178 472.