Algeria | Doctors Without Borders

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International Activity Report 2002

Algeria
2002

Emergency response to floods

MSF's presence in Algeria since 1998 has had a significant emergency response component. That was usually interpreted as a need to be ready for health problems emerging from the continuing civil war. What happened in November 2001 was a natural catastrophe: a flood that ripped through the capital Algiers and surrounding areas, killing hundreds of people, mainly in the poorest districts. MSF responded with additional medical staff, supplies and sanitation skills.

Working in Algiers and the province of Chlef, MSF provided logistical help for mobile teams conducting clinics for the victims. MSF distributed emergency medical kits as well as plastic sheeting, water bladders and jerry cans. Teams also constructed latrines and restored wells. In March 2002, MSF withdrew from its AIDS prevention and reproductive health education projects in Algeria but continued to stand ready to respond to victims of violence. The complex tensions in the region of Kabylie led to an exploratory mission in Bejaia and Tizi-Ouzou in July 2001. The team established contact with the doctors and surgeons on the front line of the continuing violence.

MSF formally closed its mission in Algeria in March 2002, although future needs will be monitored closely.