Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns in the strongest terms the murder of two of its employees in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, in northwestern Burkina Faso. The organisation is suspending its medical activities in the Boucle du Mouhoun region.

On the morning of Wednesday February 8, an MSF vehicle, clearly identified as such, carrying a medical team of four on the road between Dédougou and Tougan was targeted by armed men who shot at the passengers.

Two employees were killed, while two others managed to escape.

The two victims, both from Burkina Faso, had been employed by MSF as a driver, since July 2021, and a logistics supervisor, since June 2020. They were 39 and 34 years old, respectively.

“We are shocked and outraged by this killing. This is a deliberate and intentional attack on a clearly identified humanitarian team, during its medical work, explains Dr Isabelle Defourny, president of MSF. Our priority is to support the two colleagues who survived the attack, as well as the families and loved ones of our missing colleagues. We are also going to engage with all the parties to the conflict to understand what happened.”

MSF has suspended its activities in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, until the organisation will have a better understanding of this tragic event.

Burkina Faso is facing an unprecedented political, security and humanitarian crisis, resulting in the displacement of nearly two million people following violence and fighting between armed groups and government forces.

Between July and December 2022, MSF teams in Burkina Faso, working in four regions of the country, provided nearly 400,000 primary health consultations and assisted in the delivery of nearly 4,300 women.