“We are relieved to once again provide some assistance to people in these areas, many of whom have gone without essential and even life-saving care during the period of our suspension,” said the aid agency in a statement today.
MSF’s activities in Amhara, Gambella, Somali, and Tigray were suspended by governmental order in July of 2021, and subsequently lifted months later.
The government body that oversees foreign aid agencies, Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations, suspended MSF’s activities after accusing the aid agency of engaging illegal activities including disseminating misinformation at the height of the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
The authority lifted the suspension late last year with a “strict warning” after a review.
The MSF’s latest announcement of restarting medical and humanitarian activities in Gambella and Somali regions is in addition to its on-going medical programs in other two regions of the country.
“We are committed to improving the availability and accessibility of health services in areas where it is safe for us to do so, and where we are facilitated with the necessary resources,” reads MSF statement.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international aid agency, has been active in Ethiopia for more than 40 years.
