8 February 2023 - Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns in the strongest terms the murder of two of its staff members last Wednesday in the Boucle du Mouhoun region of northwestern Burkina Faso. MSF has suspended its activities in this region since then.
On the morning of February 8, a clearly identified MSF vehicle was carrying a four-person medical team on the road between Dédougou and Tougan when it was targeted by armed men who shot at the passengers. Two MSF staff members were killed, while two others survived this horrific attack.
Komon Dioma (left) and Souleymane Ouedraogo
The two victims were both from Burkina Faso. Komon Dioma had been employed by MSF as a driver since July 2021 and Souleymane Ouedraogo as a logistics supervisor since June 2020. They were 39 and 34 years old, respectively. The survivors are from Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“We are shocked and outraged by this killing,” said Dr. Isabelle Defourny, MSF president. “This was a deliberate and intentional attack on a clearly identified humanitarian team, during its medical work. Our priority is to support the two colleagues who survived the attack, as well as the families and loved ones of our slain colleagues. We will also engage with all the parties to the conflict to understand what happened.”
MSF has suspended its activities in the Boucle du Mouhoun region while it works to better understand this tragic event.
Burkina Faso is facing an unprecedented political, security and humanitarian crisis, resulting in the displacement of nearly two million people following violence between armed groups and government forces.
Between July and December 2022, MSF teams in Burkina Faso carried out nearly 400,000 healthcare consultations and provided care to nearly 4,300 women during childbirth in four regions of the country.