Sunday, October 10, 2010

Somalia: MSF concerns over Al-Shabaab bans medical airlines

Somali Humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF claimed Medical aid planes are being prevented from landing in some of the airports in southern Somalia—where Al-shabaab controls by the insurgent group, Radio Garowe Reports.

MSF official report says the insurgent ordered the MSF planes not to land any region in southern Somalia without any testimonies.

“Al-Shabaab forcibly ordered our plane not to uses any airports in southern part of the country and this inconvenience to the innocent people, also to our work,” said MSF official, Abdikarin Dahir Guled.

According to Médecins Sans Frontières, Last month a truck delivering therapeutic food to one of MSF’s hospitals was stopped by armed men and the contents taken.

In the same month, MSF received notice that flights carrying essential medical materials to certain projects were banned from landing.

“Head of Lower Juba Valley refused us to land in Mareerey, they ordered us to land in Kismayo, well this is terrible to us because we can’t use vehicle--for chemically reasons,” added Guled

MSF urges the authorities to take into account the critical medical needs of the Somali people by removing the restrictions and reducing the pressures that threaten MSF’s delivery of free, lifesaving medical care.

Since August 23, MSF medical teams have treated 500 war-wounded people, 370 of them suffering from blast injuries and 130 from gunshot wounds. Nearly 200 surgeries have been performed.

According to UNHCR, an approximately 38,900 people have been displaced from Mogadishu since 23 August, 23,300 have left Mogadishu while roughly 15,700 people have relocated to relatively safe areas in Mogadishu.

Source: GAROWEONLINE

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