Médecins Sans Frontières - A tribute to our colleague Arsene, killed in CAR

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF167620

Date taken / Date Recorded 01/05/2016 12:00 AM

Country Central African Republic

Commissioning section MSF-NETHERLANDS

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Project section OCA

Editor's rating ★★★★★ (C)

Maximum Size 1536px × 2560px 1.57 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist I have never met Arsène. I never saw his face, his smile, his tears. If I was still working in Geneva, Arsene would be just another colleague for whom things went wrong. Not a complete stranger, but not a person in flesh and bones either. Instead, this afternoon, Arsène has the face of Charlie, Laurent, Freidhart, David, Achilles, Francis, Junior, Yvon, and Etienne. Arsène has the face of the drivers with whom I have worked over the past four months. Arsène was there to take me home during a shooting near the prison in Bangui; he was with me on the way to Bakala when we were stopped at the ex-Seleka checkpoint; he was there to bring me home or at work every day. Arsène is all the drivers to whom I have to ask again and again their names because of my horrible memory.

The death of Arsène has brought three things to Bangui. The silence, a long silence that followed the announcement of our Head of Mission, Michelle Chouinard. We sat silently in the paillote, some with stunned eyes, some in shock and others in tears. Tears are the second experience we have received with the death of Arsène. Hot tears on the cheeks of my colleagues Alex, Chiara, and Denise. Or unshed tears, from people like Michelle, accompanied by a sob to disguise a voice cracking. Ink tears like the ones that I shed on this paper and take the form of words. The third thing that the death of Arsène has brought to Bangui is anger, a revolt of the mind against the injustice and absurdity of this event. How is it possible for someone to be killed just for doing his job? How can one kill us while we help to deliver lifesaving medical care? A year after the truce, and one month after the end of the transition government, in the Central African Republic, it is still possible to die like this, due to insecurity that turns into theft, kidnapping, rape and bullets that leave orphans and widows. Today, Arsène met one of these bullets, as it has happened to many people in CAR and will unfortunately happen again to many others.

For those of us who remain here, those who need to convince themselves that our work is meaningful, we must find something worthwhile in a loss that affects us all as a humanitarians, and human beings. What I want to take with me, leaving behind the silence and the tears, is anger and outrage. Every time I hear that the Central African Republic is emerging from the crisis, I will remember the death of Arsène - and the thousands of others who have been murdered and remained anonymous. We must not forget that while peace is far away and Arsène lost his life, there are men and women who do all that they can to assist those who are still living their lives and, if possible, escaping death.

Farewell Arsène, may the wind always carry you where you want to go.