For Immediate Release
MedGlobal is Abhorred by the Attack at its Medical Office in Yemen
The cost of the Yemen war continues to rise. Today we are saddened to report that MedGlobal’s Yemen office has been attacked. Simultaneous grenades were dropped on our office facilities. Thankfully, our MedGlobal staff were not harmed. However, our facilities were damaged, including our generator, water pipes, and a fuel tank.
Dr. Mohammed Abass, MedGlobal’s regional program manager for Middle East and North Africa, based in Yemen states:
“Our office in Aden, Yemen was attacked by grenades yesterday. Violence and threats against aid workers undermine the delivery of aid, further jeopardizing the lives of those most in need. Aid workers should not, under any circumstances, be a target. As long as they are being targeted, aid agencies cannot effectively operate and help the most vulnerable. This is why the law protecting humanitarians needs to be standardized.”
Such heinous attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including healthcare facilities and workers, are unacceptable and must end.
This attack clearly violates international humanitarian law and the laws of war. Healthcare access cannot be held hostage. Healthcare workers must be protected, and the international community must demand that those who perpetrate attacks on aid workers and civilians be held accountable for their crimes.
Professor Leonard Rubenstein, MedGlobal board member, human rights attorney, and founder of Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition states:
“Over the seven years of this war, attacks on health care have contributed enormously to the suffering of the people of Yemen. They must stop and perpetrators be held to account.”
According to the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC), there were 4,094 reported attacks and threats against health care in areas of conflict from 2016 through 2020.
As a result of the ongoing war in Yemen, only 50% of the 5056 pre-war hospitals and health facilities are functional. In June 2020, Yemen recorded a 27% mortality rate of Yemenis who were confirmed to have COVID-19, more than five times the global average and among the highest in the world at that time.
We stand in solidarity with the Yemeni people and all victims of atrocious attacks against civilians and aid workers. Attacks on civilians and healthcare workers must stop! This cannot be the new normal.
Healthcare is #NotATarget!
MedGlobal is an international medical NGO that provides emergency relief in disaster regions.
For further information contact: Leena Sahloul at leena.sahloul@medglobal.org
**ENDS**