Latest news with #ChristopherLockyear
Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Doctors Without Borders: Militarization of Aid in Gaza Is Inhumane and a Massive Failure
DaysofPal – Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) has accused the Israeli occupation and its allies of turning humanitarian aid in Gaza into a tool for forced displacement, calling the latest food distribution operation a catastrophic failure in addressing the deepening crisis. In a statement by MSF Secretary General Christopher Lockyear, the organization described the May 27 distribution in Rafah, southern Gaza, as 'tragic,' noting that dozens were injured by gunfire amid chaos and a severe lack of basic supplies. Lockyear emphasized that Palestinians, driven by hunger and thirst after over three months of complete siege and aid denial, were met with 'systematic inhumane treatment' that has now persisted for more than 19 months. The statement criticized the distribution model for failing to target the areas most severely affected. Instead, it funnels aid only into locations pre-designated by Israeli forces for civilian gatherings, leaving vulnerable populations such as the elderly and disabled with no access to life-saving support. Lockyear condemned the effort as a 'cynical attempt to appear compliant with international humanitarian law,' arguing that in reality, it functions as 'a tool to coerce civilians into abandoning their homes,' as part of what MSF suggests is a broader ethnic cleansing strategy in Gaza. The organization underscored that the aid entering Gaza is not only minimal, but also often obstructed from reaching those in greatest need, paralyzing humanitarian operations amidst total societal collapse. MSF concluded its statement by warning that the ongoing 'weaponization of aid,' combined with indiscriminate bombing and mass displacement, 'may amount to crimes against humanity.' The group renewed its call for a permanent ceasefire and the immediate and unrestricted opening of all crossings to allow the entry of essential supplies, including food, medicine, fuel, and medical equipment. Just hours before MSF's statement, 30 Palestinians were killed and at least 150 injured in a massacre after Israeli forces targeted a crowd of civilians approaching a U.S.-coordinated aid distribution point in Al-Mawasi, Rafah — yet another tragic illustration of the consequences of militarized aid under siege conditions. Shortlink for this post:
Arab News
13-03-2025
- Health
- Arab News
In UN meet, MSF slams ‘indifference' toward war-torn Sudan
UNITED NATIONS: International medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Thursday told the United Nations Security Council that the Sudanese people have been met with 'indifference and inaction' amid nearly two years of war. 'Two years of unrelenting violence have plagued Sudan, two years of devastation, displacement and death, millions uprooted, tens of thousands killed,' MSF Secretary General Christopher Lockyear said at a Security Council meeting. 'Two years of suffering met with two years of indifference and inaction.' Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the nation's army, led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhane, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) helmed by General Mohamed Hamdane Dagalo. 'The war in Sudan is a war on people, a reality that grows more evident by the day,' Lockyear said, accusing the parties of not only failing to protect citizens but also 'actively compounding their suffering.' Lockyear critiqued the Security Council's repeated calls for a ceasefire, calling their actions 'hollow.' 'Whilst statements are being made in this chamber, civilians remain unseen, unprotected, bombed, besieged, raped, displaced, deprived of food, of medical care, of dignity,' he said. The ongoing violence led MSF last month to suspend all activities in the famine-stricken Zamzam IDP refugee camp. 'This Council's failure to translate its own demands into action feels like abandonment to violence and deprivation,' Lockyear said.
