Médecins Sans Frontières Deeply Shocked and Saddened by the Killing of Two Staff Members in a Serious Incident in Mogadishu, Somalia

Mogadishu/ Nairobi/ Brussels, December 29, 2011- It is with great sadness that Médecins Sans Frontières confirms that two Médecins Sans Frontières staff members were killed this morning as a result of a shooting in the organization’s compound in Mogadishu. While one of the aid workers died during the shooting, the other was transferred to a hospital and died after surgery this evening.

The victims are Belgian and Indonesian nationals. Philippe Havet, a 53-year-old from Belgium, was an experienced emergency coordinator who had been working with Médecins Sans Frontières since 2000 in many countries, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Somalia. Andrias Karel Keiluhu, better known as ‘Kace’, was a 44-year-old medical doctor who had worked with Médecins Sans Frontières since 1998 in his native Indonesia as well as in Ethiopia, Thailand and Somalia.

The exact circumstances of the shooting are not yet clear. Our priority is to take care of those most affected by this tragedy, in particular the families and the colleagues of the victims.

Médecins Sans Frontières will be relocating some staff for security reasons, but remains committed to continuing our humanitarian work in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia.

Philippe and Kace were in Mogadishu working with the Médecins Sans Frontières teams to provide emergency medical assistance to displaced persons and residents of the city.

We are deeply shocked by this tragic event and we will greatly miss Philippe and Kace. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to their families and friends.

Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Somalia continuously since 1991 and currently operates 13 projects in the country, including medical activities related to the ongoing emergency, vaccination campaigns, as well as nutritional interventions. Médecins Sans Frontières also assists Somali refugees in camps in Dadaab, Kenya and Dolo Ado, Ethiopia.