MSF sacks 18 staff over abuse of Sudanese refugees in Chad

The medical charity, which goes by its French acronym MSF, said it had launched a series of investigations into "serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse" put forward in late 2024 by Sudanese refugees hosted in eastern Chad.

In an email confirming information first reported by the Associated Press, MSF said that "while some of the 59 allegations were corroborated by the review, others remained unverified as in some cases neither victims nor perpetrators could be identified".

"Where investigations established serious misconduct, immediate disciplinary action was taken," it said, adding that "as a result, 18 staff have been dismissed and are now barred from working with MSF".

The charity stressed that "this misconduct represents a serious breach of MSF's values and responsibilities, and we deeply regret the harm caused".

"We continue to work to strengthen our prevention, detection and response systems," it said.

"We encourage staff, patients, and community members to report to us any misconduct, and are committed to ensuring that our reporting channels are safe, accessible and trusted."

Since breaking out in April 2023, Sudan's civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 12 million people, nearly one million of whom have fled west to Chad, according to the United Nations.