[1099] in peace2
Doctors without Borders press release
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Julia Steinberger)
Tue Oct 9 01:31:05 2001
Message-Id: <200110090531.BAA01585@buzzword-bingo.mit.edu>
To: peace-list@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2001 01:31:00 -0400
From: Julia Steinberger <julias@MIT.EDU>
Hi peace-listers -- ready for a brave new week?
1. Don't forget to sign the online petition
and email your favorite administrators for
freedom of speech at MIT:
http://web.mit.edu/justice/www/petition.html
2. Come to the peace vigil from 6-7 PM TUESDAY
at Copley Square.
3. Here's why: Starvation of _millions_ of Afghanis,
while Bush bombs away: (from www.msf.org)
Medecins sans Frontieres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999
You can donate to them via MIT's United Trauma Relief (utr@mit.edu)
Information dated 08.10.2001
MSF casts doubt on military's 'humanitarian airdrops' in Afghanistan
Airdrops of food and medical aid described as of 'negligible value'
and 'potentially dangerous'
Press release, Islamabad, Oct 8, 2001: The international medical aid
agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which has been working in
Afghanistan since 1979, today cast doubt on the so-called
'humanitarian airdrops' by US and British military forces, which have
accompanied the military strikes against Afghanistan over the last
24-hours. Such action does not answer the needs of the Afghan people
and is likely to undermine attempts to deliver substantial aid to the
most vulnerable.
MSF's Dr Jean-Hervi Bradol, speaking from Pakistan, explained that the
so-called 'humanitarian' action, was in fact a purely propaganda tool,
of little real value to the Afghan people.
Moreover, the deliberate adoption by the military of a 'humanitarian' purpose,
was likely to cause real problems for truly independent non-governmental aid
organisations who are less likely to be perceived as impartial actors in the future.
"How will the Afghan population know in the future if an offer of
humanitarian aid does not hide a military operation?" questions Dr
Bradol. "We have seen many times before, for example in Somalia, the
problems caused for both the vulnerable population and for aid
agencies when the military try to both fight a war and deliver aid at
the same time."
Dr Bradol explained that the real impact of the much-vaunted 37,500
single day rations on the burgeoning nutritional crisis within
Afghanistan was likely to be minimal.
"What is needed is large scale convoys of basic foodstuffs, rather
than single meals designed for soldiers. Until yesterday the UN and
aid agencies such as ourselves were still able to get some food
convoys into Afghanistan. Due to the airstrikes the UN have stopped
all convoys, and we will find delivering aid also much more
difficult."
Doctors from MSF also expressed concern at the reported airdropping of
medical supplies. "Medical relief is not the same as dropping
medicines by plane. Unless they are administered by qualified medical
staff, medicines can actually do more harm than good", said Dr
Bradol. "Dropping a few cases of drugs and food in the middle of the
night during air raids, without knowing who is going to collect them,
is virtually useless and may even be dangerous".
Medecins Sans Frontieres therefore rejects the idea of a humanitarian
coalition alongside the military coalition, as requested by President
Bush and Prime Minister Blair, and calls for the imperative necessity
of independent humanitarian action.
In order to remove MSF from the growing confusion between independent
humanitarian relief and Tony Blair's proposed 'humanitarian
coalition', MSF is at present not accepting any further funding from
governments involved for its aid work during the crisis.
