By RFIPalled on 11-08-2019Modified on 11-08-2019 at 19:01

In Niger, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is leaving the town of Maïné-Soroa, located in the Diffa region in the south-east of the country. This area, close to Nigeria, is regularly the target of Boko Haram raids. The withdrawal follows an attack on the MSF office in Maïné-Soroa on April 26 by unidentified assailants. One of the guards at the NGO office was slightly injured.

It has been three years since the organization provided medical and humanitarian assistance to the population of Maïné-Soroa. After analyzing the security context, following the April 26 attack, MSF decided to leave the Maïné-Soroa zone.

Joined by RFI, Abdoul Aziz Mohammed, head of mission for Médecins sans Frontières in Niger, explains the departure of the organization.

" Since then [26 April attack], Doctors Without Borders has tried to understand the incident but until then we have not been able to identify who did this and why. Suddenly, faced with this uncertainty, we resolved to close the project to not expose our staffs and our operations, "he says.

Abdul Aziz Mohammed adds that, in addition to the April 26 attack, there has been a security deterioration in the area in recent weeks.

" There have been a lot of acts that have taken place in the area - much more than in previous months - that have mainly targeted other NGOs but also much more civilian populations. We also know that there are many conflicts, other than Boko Haram, in this area and therefore no one can say exactly who does what. Moreover, the fact that it is at a time when diseases such as malaria and all waterborne patients are emerging, it is indeed a blow to the people, "said the head of mission for Doctors Without Borders in Niger .

MSF continues its activities in the rest of the Diffa region.

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