Guest Africa

Sylvain Groulx (MSF/Cameroon): we demand "very clearly, the release of our colleagues"

Audio 05:05

An MSF ambulance in Cameroon.

© msf.org

By: Amélie Tulet Follow

5 mins

This is MSF's appeal to the Cameroonian authorities: "

".

For lack of guarantees on the safety of its employees, Médecins sans Frontières is suspending its activities in the South-West region, one of the two regions with an English-speaking majority in the grip of a security crisis for more than four years.

Four Cameroonian employees of the NGO are in prison in Buea, two men and two women (including a pregnant nurse).

Among these employees arrested, 2 were arrested at the end of December while transporting a wounded member of an armed group.

The two MSF employees are under investigation for “complicity in secessionism”.

MSF decides to suspend its activities “to devote itself to obtaining the safe release of its collaborators”.

Sylvain Groulx, director of operations for MSF, is our guest.

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RFI: what do you expect from the Cameroonian authorities?

We hope for the release of our colleagues who are detained simply for doing their job.

Moreover, there was an investigation report submitted after an independent investigation conducted at the request of the Ministry of Defense by the

organization .

The report was released several weeks ago.

It very clearly exonerates our colleagues and yet they are still being held in prison (in Buea). 

Where is the dialogue with the authorities on these files? 

It's kinda non-existent.

We have been trying for several months to meet various interlocutors within the national authorities to have a discussion, clarifications.

They turn a deaf ear and we are unable to meet them. 

What will be the impact of the suspension of your activities in the South West of Cameroon for the inhabitants? 

It must be understood that our work goes beyond caring for the wounded in war. 

In 2021, we provided 165,000 consultations, including more than 42,000 for children under five. 

We provide surgery and caesareans for women who need them. 

During

Editor's note: confinement instructions imposed by armed groups

during which the inhabitants are not allowed to move, MSF was the only organization that could move in these areas and act as an ambulance with a guarantee of security from both parties (Editor's note: armed groups on one side, government forces on the other).

Unfortunately, this security guarantee from the government is no longer offered to us because colleagues have been arrested and are in detention.

How do you explain this mistrust of the Cameroonian authorities towards MSF? 

You have to ask them. 

How have you seen the relationship with the authorities evolve?

It was more administrative problems, but that did not prevent us from doing our job.

Today, it is a major problem for humanitarian workers in the exercise of their duty (to be called into question, editor's note) We have always shown transparency in our activities for the four years that we have been in the area.

We do not understand why today our colleagues are detained. 

Since when has the working environment deteriorated for MSF? 

It started with the suspension of our activities, also, in the North West region a little more than a year and a half ago (in December 2020).

It's since that time I would say. 

On this subject, where is the dialogue to relaunch your activities in this North-West region? 

There still isn't, unfortunately.

We try, in vain. 

There is conflict between armed groups and government forces in the South West region but there are also cases of cholera.

Does the suspension of your activities in the region also concern the fight against this disease? 

Unfortunately yes.

We were in partnership with the Ministry of Health who had requested our support, as well as the WHO (the World Health Organization).

We were fighting this epidemic which has been raging since the end of 2021 in the Bamousso area and unfortunately we had to interrupt our emergency support for this cholera epidemic. 

Médecins sans Frontières is therefore no longer present either in the North-West or in the South-West;

what are the prerequisites for resuming your activities in these regions, if the authorities so wish? 

First: the release of our colleagues, very clearly.

Second, the positive commitment of the authorities to assure us that we do not risk being implicated or detained when we do our work.

It's that simple.

It's a job in already very very difficult conditions, in thankless conditions for everyone.

But it is a job that is extremely important for the population.

We always notify the authorities of our activities.

Let's be clear, we are always very transparent.

From there, let us do our job. 

I believe it is important that we have the opportunity to sit down, to dialogue, in a healthy environment, then that we can work without fear of being arrested, detained in prison, without being accused of "complicity in secessionism" .

This is a most ridiculous charge: MSF has been working in Cameroon for more than thirty years.

We never had any problems.

And we do not understand why today we are being reproached for helping one part or the other of this crisis.

This is the height of ridiculous! 

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• Cameroon

• Humanitarian