The Doctor Without Borders
What MSF founder Jacques Bérès takes with him to the field.
Jacques Bérès co-founded Médecins Sans Frontières in 1971, but these days the white-bearded 71-year-old often acts like a one-man "doctor without borders." The border he has been crossing recently is the one into war-torn Syria, where he has headed into rebel territory over and over again, entering illegally from Turkey and often during peaks of horrific violence. Sometimes, Bérès practices war surgery in actual, if rudimentary, hospitals; other times he sets up shop wherever he can receive people in need. The work is relentless: With bombs exploding nearby, sleep can be nearly impossible, and death is never far. "Syria," he says, shaking his head, "is a mess. A real mess."
Foreign Policy visited Bérès in his Paris apartment weeks before a trip "with some friends" to the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The French doctor's suitcase, a muddied but sturdy old Samsonite with an Ethiopian Airlines sticker on the side, was packed with his gear -- ready to go at a moment's notice. "I need to be prepared to leave for anywhere within 10 minutes," he says.
Jacques Bérès co-founded Médecins Sans Frontières in 1971, but these days the white-bearded 71-year-old often acts like a one-man “doctor without borders.” The border he has been crossing recently is the one into war-torn Syria, where he has headed into rebel territory over and over again, entering illegally from Turkey and often during peaks of horrific violence. Sometimes, Bérès practices war surgery in actual, if rudimentary, hospitals; other times he sets up shop wherever he can receive people in need. The work is relentless: With bombs exploding nearby, sleep can be nearly impossible, and death is never far. “Syria,” he says, shaking his head, “is a mess. A real mess.”
Foreign Policy visited Bérès in his Paris apartment weeks before a trip “with some friends” to the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The French doctor’s suitcase, a muddied but sturdy old Samsonite with an Ethiopian Airlines sticker on the side, was packed with his gear — ready to go at a moment’s notice. “I need to be prepared to leave for anywhere within 10 minutes,” he says.
Photographs by Sébastien Deslandes.
More from Foreign Policy
Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.
So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.
Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.
Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
