MSF definitively suspends its operations in southwestern Cameroon due to Army harassment of its workers

July 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders has decided to definitively suspend its operations in the Cameroonian towns of Kumba and Mamfe, in the Southwest region of Cameroon, after denouncing a campaign of harassment by Cameroonian government forces against its workers, two of whom are imprisoned for their alleged cooperation with separatist groups, which the NGO categorically denies.

“Doctors Without Borders has made the difficult decision to close our projects, suspended in March, in Kumba and Mamfe,” the NGO has announced. The final suspension will take effect on August 1.

MSF recalls that the authorities have arrested four workers since December last year. While two were paroled in May, two others remain in detention awaiting trial.

The NGO has pointed out that “a small team will remain in the region” to continue working for the release of the aid workers and, in the best of cases, to preserve a minimum of structure in the face of a possible return.

“However, you cannot work indefinitely without having any idea when we will be able to resume our activities, or if our team will be able to work without being persecuted just for providing medical help to those who need it,” the group lamented in a statement published in their website.

MSF, however, remains hopeful that “an agreement can be reached with the authorities to support the local health system and provide medical assistance to the population.”

The army accused the detained workers of complicity with separatist groups fighting to carve out an independent English-speaking state in Cameroon, where the majority of the population speaks French. The military has claimed that MSF personnel helped and transported separatist fighters in MSF ambulances.