Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns the unacceptable harassment of our staff and the violent looting and occupation of our medical premises and supported facilities in Sudan. Staff and patients are repeatedly facing the trauma of armed groups entering and looting MSF premises, with medicines, supplies and vehicles being stolen. This shocking disregard for humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law has impeded our ability to provide healthcare to people at a time when it is desperately needed.
MSF, which runs medical projects in 10 states in Sudan, has been attempting to scale up our medical activities since intense fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces on 15 April. Our scale up efforts have been continually hampered by violence, aggressive armed incursions, looting or armed occupation of our premises, as well as administrative and logistical challenges.
We call on all warring parties to ensure the safety of medical personnel and health facilities, to allow safe passage of ambulances and people seeking healthcare and to facilitate access and rapid and unimpeded movement for humanitarian workers, organisations and supplies. Although a nationwide ceasefire was announced between the warring parties on 20 May, local ceasefires have not always been respected in the past.