Médecins sans Frontières Luxembourg today reported that the international humanitarian organisation has launched a petition calling on US President Barack Obama to agree to an independent and impartial international investigation into the bombing of an MSF hospital in Kunduz on 3 October 2015.
In an act the organisation has declared 'akin to a war crime', the Kunduz hospital in Afghanistan was bombed in an airstrike, killing 12 MSF employees and 10 patients and wounding a further 37 individuals present in the hospital at time. The organisation is now calling on citizens worldwide to join a petition demanding an unbiased investigation into what really happened.
"Respect for the rules of war protects our staff and patients in conflict zones around the world," said Jason Cone, Director of MSF USA. "There must be an independent and impartial investigation into the dreadful attack in our hospital. We call on President Obama to accept the investigation of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) immediately. Consent is a key step for President Obama to show the commitment of the US to respecting the Geneva Conventions, and to show that the US armed forced recognise that international humanitarian law protects medical facilities".
MSF's appeal, seeking to invoke a never-before-used body, concerns not just Kunduz and the US, but rather all nations and parties to a conflict. MSF stated that the action provided an opportunity for these parties to reaffirm their commitment to respect international humanitarian law and allow MSF and similar organisations the right to continue to provide independent and impartial medical assistant in conflict zones.
The organisation urged world citizens to join it in denouncing these attacks, claiming that "the very heart of any medical humanitarian mission is at stake".
The petition has so far received 45,018 signatures of the 50,000 needed to obtain its goal. To sign it, click here.
Photo by MSF
