Statement: Clashes in Baidoa, and wounded arriving at MSF-supported hospital

Dr. Elshafie Mohammed, MSF Country Representative in Somalia.

“On the morning of 17 August, armed clashes erupted in and around Baidoa town, South West state, Somalia. At Bay Regional hospital, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, teams received 71 wounded people, including women and children. Four deaths were recorded, including one young woman. Patients continue to arrive, and these figures are expected to rise. Baidoa hosts more than half a million people displaced by conflict, drought and insecurity, many of whom depend on the town’s already limited health services. These services are stretched beyond capacity. Each new cycle of violence places further pressure on the health system and pushes lifesaving care further out of reach for those who need it. It is devastating to see civilians caught up in violence again. Civilians, health facilities, and medical staff must be protected, and wounded people must be able to reach medical care safely. At Bay Regional hospital, MSF supports the emergency, maternity, paediatrics, nutrition, and outpatient departments.”