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MSF Suspends Activities in Central African Republic After Attack on Staff

© AFP 2023 / Fabrice Coffrini Staffs of Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French name Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), hold stretchers with a target on it during a demonstration on November 3, 2015 in Geneva.
Staffs of Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French name Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), hold stretchers with a target on it during a demonstration on November 3, 2015 in Geneva. - Sputnik International
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The international humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) is suspending its activities in Central African Republic (CAR) after an attack on its team, the organization said in a statement.

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, a MSF vehicle carrying staff and patients was attacked in northwestern CAR. The MSF team was robbed and one of the drivers was shot.

"As a result of this act of violence, MSF has been forced to suspend activities in the area until such time as it receives adequate guarantees for the safety for its staff and the acceptance of its medical and humanitarian activities," the organization said in a statement Thursday.

Michelle Chouinard, MSF’s head of mission in CAR, condemned the attacks.

"It is absolutely unacceptable that a team of medical workers and their patients were attacked while returning from providing lifesaving medical care," Chouinard said, as quoted by MSF.

The Central African Republic has been suffering from sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians since the 2013 coup, when Muslim Seleka rebels seized control in the majority-Christian nation, overthrowing president Francois Bozize, who had ruled the country since 2003.

Thousands were killed in the ensuing violence and about 20 percent of the population fled their homes. Two successive interim governments, as well as thousands of UN and French peacekeepers, have struggled to stop the fighting and disarm militias since the conflict escalated.

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