Death of Louis Schittly, co-founder of Doctors Without Borders and Nobel Peace Prize winner

DEATH – A humanist figure has passed away. Louis Schittly died Wednesday January 1 at the age of 86. He created the association Médecins sans frontières (MSF) in 1971 with his friend Bernard Kouchner. The NGO continues to this day to provide emergency care to populations in distress, in particular to victims of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, or to people affected by natural disasters, such as the recent Cyclone Chido.

Originally from Alsace and lover of his region, Louis Schittly died in Mulhouse. “He who lived a classic childhood, he became someone extraordinary in the eyes of many”summarizes one of his friends, Vincent Froelhy, with France Bleu Alsace. “We will miss him very much. »

At the end of his medical studies in Strasbourg and Lille, Louis Schittly joined the Red Cross in 1968 to take care of hospitals in Biafra, a region of southeastern Nigeria ravaged by war. There, he met doctors who, like him, “ are a little crazy and don't want to settle down with a plate, to bring in the dough”, says Vincent Froelhy.

The young doctor did not stop at this mission. On his return to France in 1970, he created the GIMCU (Emergency Medical-Surgical Intervention Group) with his friend Bernard Kouchner. The association changed its name a year later to Médecins sans Frontières.

Nobel Prize in 1999, for saving the most vulnerable

Louis Schittly then multiplies the missions, constantly traveling to provide support in war or vulnerable zones, such as Ivory Coast, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Mali, Serbia and South Sudan.

In 1999, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to him and Bernard Kouchner for co-founding Médecins Sans Frontières and dedicating their lives to saving thousands of people around the world.

The man who readily defined himself as an anarchist then returned to his roots, becoming a peasant like his father. In Bernwiller, his hometown, he cultivated an orchard and lush garden, becoming “rabbit doctor”, in his own words. He also directed the documentary film entitled D'Goda and wrote several books, notably to recount his experience to Médecins sans Frontières.

Also see on HuffPost :