Back in Afghanistan, MSF Determined to Run Neutral Hospitals

by Una M. · 2009-12-23 06:06:00 UTC
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Five employees of international medical relief organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were gunned down on a rural road in Afghanistan five years ago. The Taliban claimed responsibility, but evidence pointed to militiamen under the command of a local warlord as the more likely perpetrators. The slayings prompted MSF to withdraw from the country after 24 years. The departure of an organization famous for working in the toughest environments rattled the humanitarian community, and MSF's leadership made no secret of its belief that increased association between aid organizations and military forces had made aidworkers more vulnerable. MSF's decision to withdraw amplified the debate over civil-military relations, a debate that goes on still.

This winter, however, MSF returned to Afghanistan.

It has taken over the running of two hospitals, one in Kabul and the other in Lashkar Gah, the capital of war-torn Helmand province in the south. Neutrality is still a top concern for the organization, which prohibits weapons and police searches in its hospitals, and treats injured combatants from all sides.

Describing his assessment of the health structures in the conflict zone, MSF head of mission Michiel Hofman told Spiegel Online, "International forces and police would regularly go into hospitals to harass patients. Hospitals would be attacked. There is a dire record of respecting the neutrality of health structures."

To be viewed as a neutral actor by all belligerents, including the Taliban, MSF is willing to do something few other aid organizations are: treat the Afghan government not as an ally or even a necessary partner, but just another belligerent party in a complex war.

"Four years ago there was no room for negotiation with the Kabul government. They introduced this subcontracting system, and for MSF you can't subcontract to a government," Hoffman said. "The situation is quite different today. We have agreements with all the belligerent parties. The agreement is that they stay out of the hospitals."

Weapons stay at the door. No searches. No police or soldiers. No exceptions.

How long any of this will hold in the coming fighting season is anyone's guess.

[Photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/paalb/ / CC BY 2.0]

Una M.
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