Around one-quarter of the medical assistance provided by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is for people caught in armed conflict. At risk of indiscriminate attacks as well as targeted violence, many civilians living through wars are faced with a wrenching choice: flee their homes or try to survive under siege. Conflict disrupts every aspect of daily life, jeopardizing access to even the most basic needs, like food and medical care.
In conflict zones around the world, MSF provides lifesaving medical care based on needs alone. In countries convulsed by fighting—from Yemen to Syria to South Sudan and many more—our teams treat both the direct consequences of war and provide basic medical services when national health systems have collapsed. We set up operating theaters and clinics, run nutrition programs, fight disease outbreaks, and provide medical and mental health care for victims of sexual violence, among other essential services.