Since fighting broke out in the Chadian capital of N’djamena on Feb. 2, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has treated 50 wounded people referred to hospital by the Chadian Red Cross. Most of these people are civilians suffering from bullet wounds. According to the Chadian Red Cross, about 200 wounded in total have been referred to various hospitals in the past 48 hours. Continuous fighting is making it very hard to access the injured and get them to medical facilities.

An MSF team of 15 people is currently working in a hospital in N’djamena, including a surgeon, an anesthetist, two doctors, nurses, logisticians and the MSF head of mission. MSF is organizing a charter plane from Bangui, Central African Republic, with medical and surgical material (a kit for 50 surgical interventions and a kit for treating 150 wounded) to reinforce the hospitals in Ndjamena.

Update

N’djamena : MSF operates on 70 wounded, tens of thousands flee

This past weekend Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) operated on 70 wounded people in Chad’s capital of N’djamena, but many hundreds of others are reported to be in other hospitals in the city. Throughout the weekend, access to hospitals was limited due to the ongoing fighting. There has been no fighting in the capital since Monday morning, but MSF has been unable to access other hospitals as the roads are blocked by the quantity of people fleeing from the city. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing N’djamena towards the town of Kousseri in Cameroon. An MSF team currently working in Cameroon is going to Kousseria to evaluate the needs.

Fighting in eastern Chad

On Sun., Feb. 3, the town of Adré (bordering the Sudanese region of Darfur) was attacked. Several wounded arrived at the town’s general hospital where an MSF team works. While some team members are being evacuated, a surgical team remains and is operating in the hospital (a surgeon, an anesthetist, a nurse and the field coordinator).

While some teams have been reduced in eastern Chad, MSF still continues its work in the region, including in the camps for displaced people and Sudanese refugees.

Reinforcing our teams

MSF currently has 15 people (seven international and eight Chadian) working in N’djamena, and is sending an additional surgical team to N’djamena to treat the wounded, as well as additional medical and logistical staff to Cameroon to start providing aid to refugees arriving from Chad. A cargo plane has been sent from Bangui, Central African Republic, to southern Chad to provide medical and surgical material for hospitals in Nd’jamena. An additional full charter is currently being organized from France to Cameroon with additional medical and surgical material for the hospitals in N’djamena, as well as non-food items for refugees arriving in Cameroon.