Doctors Without Borders accused of criminal abortion programme in Northern Nigeria
A bombshell report published on 9th November 2024 has alleged that the non-governmental organisation, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), was involved in an illegal abortion programme in north-eastern Nigeria.
The testimony was given by Senior Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Hillary Ogbonna. It cleared the military of alleged wrongdoing which was reported in 2022 by Reuters and others, which claimed that since 2013, the Nigerian military conducted “a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the North-East, ending at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls.”
The allegations against the Nigerian military led the NHRC to set up a special investigation, which concluded “the Nigerian military did not operate a secret programme or any policy of illegal abortions according to the testimonies from their witnesses.” But Medecins Sans Frontieres came under scrutiny for its alleged role performing criminal abortions in Nigeria.
Mr Ogbonna explained that: “There is evidence that Medecins Sans Frontieres may have operated a programme of illegal abortion in the North-East… The panel makes this finding on the basis of the testimony of a protected witness and whistleblower, who testified that abortions were conducted by MSF from 2014 to 2015 and continued after the replacement of one Mitchell, a Mexican woman, the head of the psychosocial support program in 2016 introduced to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Ministry of Health, Borno State”.
This allegation is very serious. If verified, it should surely result in some action by European governments/regulatory authorities against Doctors Without Borders (MSF).