Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known by the official English name “Doctors without Borders” wishes to clearly dissociate from a Sudanese organisation that holds the same name, who according to Sudanese media reports has issued a public statement in which it denounced the arrest of a Ministry of Health doctor in Jabal Marra region in South Darfur state. We stand in no relation to the NGO, their public statements, or any further content of the related media articles.
This is not the first time that MSF’s name – which is under international and legal trademark protection - has been used erroneously to reflect the statements of another different organization, and we have engaged with the concerned Sudanese officials on multiple occasions to rectify and assert our independent position.
We, MSF, are an international, independent, medical humanitarian organization founded in 1971, that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from medical care - irrespective of race, religion, creed or political conviction. These values of neutral humanitarian intervention are what are represented in MSF’s identification and trademarks.
It is therefore essential that MSF ensures that none of its trademarks are being misused or used without authorisation, and to eliminate any risk of confusion between organisations/other groups with the same or similar names.
MSF calls on the Sudanese authorities to urgently address this important issue so as to ensure that future misrepresentation of MSF is avoided