Humanitarian CrisesNews

Mali: Patient Dies After MSF Ambulance Is Violently Detained

A Médecins Sans Frontières (@MSF) ambulance transporting patients between Douentza and Sévaré, in central Mali, was violently stopped by armed men for hours on Tuesday,  resulting in the death of one of the patients onboard.

MSF strongly condemns this serious obstruction of medical aid, and calls on all parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian and medical action and the civilian population.

The ambulance, clearly identified by the MSF logo, was on its way to the general hospital in Sévaré with three patients who has been seriously injured in the bombing of January 3 in Douentza region. 

A nurse from the Ministry of Health, a caretaker and a driver were also in the vehicle. 


The armed men tied them up, assaulted them and left them in the harsh sun for several hours before finally releasing them. One of the patients, a man in his sixties, died during his detention.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms all forms of violence against our patients, our staff and medical aid workers in general,” said Juan Carlos Cano, MSF’s head of mission in Mali. 

“We are very shocked and call on the parties to the conflict to respect the ambulances, medical staff, patients and their carers. Medical vehicles must be allowed to transport patients safely,” Cano added. 

On Wednesday,  the MSF ambulance finally reached the hospital in Sévaré. The other two patients in the vehicle are currently under medical care.

Earlier this week, MSF teams had treated several seriously injured patients from Bounty and Kikara villages (north-east of Douentza), at the Douentza referral health centre. 

The patients, mostly elderly men, had injuries from explosions, shards of metal and gunshot wounds. 

MSF was not present in the area at the time of the events and is not in a position to confirm the exact circumstances of these incidents, around which there is still a lot of confusion.

Following the violent detention of its ambulance and the deterioration of the security situation in central Mali, MSF once again calls on all parties to the conflict to respect medical and humanitarian aid, medical facilities and the civilian population.


Support Our Journalism

There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.

To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.

Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.

Donate Here

Of course, we want our exclusive stories to reach as many people as possible and would appreciate it if you republish them. We only ask that you properly attribute to HumAngle, generally including the author's name, a link to the publication and a line of acknowledgement. Contact us for enquiries or requests.

Contact Us

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Translate »