MSF closes its only hospital in Yemen following nearby airstrikes

A Yemeni family receives Thalassaemia medications at a pharmacy from the Yemen Association for Thalassaemia and genetic blood disorders, in the capital Sanaa, on March 2, 2016. (AFP/Mohammed Huwais)

The only medical facility run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the northern Yemeni city of Sa’ada has been closed following Saudi airstrikes that hit an area near it.

The international medical charity said in messages posted on Twitter that its facility in the Razeh district of Sa’ada was evacuated after two raids struck 20 meters from the hospital on Tuesday.

The MSF said its staffers are “scared” to resume work in the hospital, which was also attacked in January. Four people were killed and 10 injured in the strikes back then.

Missile strikes have reportedly hit at least three MSF clinics across Yemen.

Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March last year, after Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, forcing the government into exile.

At least 8,300 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed and more than 16,000 others injured since March 2015. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

Houthi rebel forces have carried out attacks in retaliation, inflicting heavy losses on Saudi forces.