Today in History: Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is founded, 1971 (France)

In 1967, Biafra, a region in eastern Nigeria, seceded from Nigeria and proclaimed its independence, which prompted a civil war in the region. With about 50 of his medical colleagues, Kouchner traveled to Biafra in the summer of 1968, where, as part of the International Red Cross, he tried to provide medical aid to the suffering population. When Kouchner returned to France in early 1969, he speculated on the problems of the conflict and voiced his disagreement with the International Red Cross and its policy of not interfering in the politics of the warring countries.
The civil war (and ensuing famine) in Biafra resulted in the founding of GIMCU (Groupe d'Intervention Medical et Chirurgical d'Urgence, or Emergency Medical and Surgical Intervention Group). A second disaster—a flood due to a tidal wave in eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh)—led to the establishment of SMF (Secours Medical Français, or French Medical Relief). On December 20, 1971, MSF was born from the merger of GIMCU and SMF, with Kouchner as its first director. The MSF has essentially the same goals as the other 2 groups, that is, to bring food, medical supplies, and hope to the needy peoples of the world.
In late 1970, Kouchner cared for victims of an earthquake in Peru and the survivors of the Black September massacre of Palestinians in Jordan. He worked in Nicaragua (earthquake) in 1972, in Lebanon (civil war) and Vietnam (war) in 1975, and in Turkey (earthquake) in 1976.


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