Report : Ten Years of Attacks Against Healthcare
2026-07-20
Between 2016 and 2026, Médecins du Monde France (MdM) documented 223 attacks on healthcare affecting its international operations, out of more than 1,000 incidents reported across all our programmes during this period.
This represents nearly two incidents per month. This violence illustrates an alarming trend: more than 17,000 attacks have been recorded worldwide since the adoption of United Nations Security Counsil Resolution 2286 ten years ago
The contexts in which MdM operates illustrate the diversity and complexity of the threats. The NGO has observed that in Myanmar (34 incidents), the Central African Republic (21 incidents), Palestine (19 incidents, on the rise since 2023), Yemen, Ethiopia, Colombia, Syria and Ukraine, peaks in incidents coincide with acute phases of armed conflict.
Over the past ten years, MdM has experienced 140 minor incidents, 77 critical incidents and 6 severe incidents. Beyond the bombing and destruction of healthcare facilities, the majority of attacks suffered are less visible but just as destructive: theft of medical equipment, extortion, arrests of staff or partners, armed intrusions, threats, administrative harassment, and restrictions on movement at checkpoints or borders. These obstacles cause systemic damage: supply chain disruptions, a decline in the quality of care, critical delays in treatment, and a reduction in humanitarian space. In some cases, MdM has had to suspend, relocate or evacuate its operations, leaving thousands of people without access to essential care, with major consequences for their health.
The violence observed by MdM is part of a worrying trend of direct targeting and criminalisation of medical and humanitarian action, where healthcare workers are sometimes forced to prove that they are not breaking the law, thereby reversing the principle of protection enshrined in international law. Persistent impunity fuels the recurrence of attacks and causes lasting damage to health systems and international humanitarian law, which protects healthcare infrastructure and healthcare workers.
Ten years after the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2286, which condemns attacks on healthcare in conflicts, Médecins du Monde is calling for a political wake-up call: states must stop treating Resolution 2286 as a symbolic commitment and fully undertake their responsibilities regarding the prevention, investigation and protection of healthcare.
Protecting healthcare is not an option: it is essential to safeguarding the lives, dignity and fundamental rights of people living in conflict zones.
