MSF pulls out of Darfur hospital after fatal shooting

GENEVA (Reuters) -Medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres said on Tuesday it has withdrawn its staff from a Darfur hospital after a stretcher-bearer was shot dead, calling on a paramilitary group to guarantee the safety of staff there.

The victim, who worked for Sudan’s health ministry, was killed outside the Zalingei Hospital on November 18 in an incident in which four others were also wounded, MSF said.

The facility is located in central Darfur state, in an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and removed from the front lines of the conflict with Sudan’s army.

“Our teams cannot resume humanitarian activities until the Rapid Support Forces guarantee safe conditions to protect staff and patients,” said Myriam Laaroussi, MSF emergency coordinator in Darfur, in a statement sent to reporters.

The RSF has denied harming civilians and says that anyone found to have committed abuses would be held accountable.

MSF operates an emergency room at the facility and does surgery, newborn care and treats measles and cholera during outbreaks. In August, it temporarily suspended its activities at the same facility after a grenade explosion.

(Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by Miranda Murray)