Friday, March 2, 2018 — Following a violent attack in Rann (Borno State, Nigeria) on Thursday 1 March, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended its medical activities in the town and evacuated 22 national and international staff. It is still unclear how many people were killed and injured in the attack, but before leaving, MSF medical staff treated nine wounded patients.

The 40,000 people living in Rann were relying almost entirely on MSF’s services to access healthcare. “Many of those living in Rann had sought shelter there after fleeing their homes and were already extremely vulnerable. As such, leaving our patients, who include 60 children currently enrolled in our nutrition programme, without medical assistance is an extremely painful decision” says Kerri Ann Kelly, MSF Emergency Coordinator in Nigeria.

“We will continue to evaluate how the situation evolves and will return as soon as the conditions allow. This latest attack is a stark reminder that it is the people in Borno who are paying the price of this ruthless conflict. They are trapped in a deadly cycle of violence and are heavily reliant on external assistance to survive. In Rann, this assistance is now considerably reduced.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

MSF teams have been providing medical care in Rann since January 2017. Mobile teams delivered assistance on a regular basis and a permanent medical team has been based in Rann since September 2017.

We estimate that the mortality rate in children under five in Rann was twice that of the emergency threshold between May and November 2017 (Rainy Season). During rainy season last year the town was cut off from the outside world and no food or aid supplies were brought in during this time.

MSF teams have been treating people for malaria, malnutrition and illnesses linked to poor living conditions.