MSF pauses activities in Khartoum after brief detention of its medical team

January 26, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The humanitarian medical group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) decided to temporarily suspend its activities in Khartoum after the detention of nine of its medical team by the Sudanese security authorities.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, MSF said that its medical staff members had been detained on January 24 when they leaving the Al-Jawda hospital where they worked that day heading to the MSF office.

The nine physicians have being released the following morning on January 25; 2022 after spending the night at the police station where they were questioned about the organisation’s medical activities.

“The arrest of our staff in connection with their medical activities is unacceptable,” said Michel-Oliver Lacharité, MSF emergency program manager in Sudan.

“We are relieved that our team is now free. But they should never have been arrested,” he added.

Lacharité stressed that their activities are only medical and limited to helping hospitals in Khartoum to treat those injured during the protests, and providing support to respond to a worrying cases of covid-19 in the capital.

“Today, some of our activities are paused in Khartoum, as we are working to ensure the safety of our teams,” he said.

“We hope to be able to quickly resume our assistance to the residents of the capital.”

MSF works in eight states across the country.