The "Groupe d'intervention médicale et chirurgicale en urgence" ("Emergency Medical and Surgical Intervention Group") was formed in 1971 by French doctors who had worked in Biafra, to provide aid and to emphasize the importance of victims' rights. At the same time, Raymond Borel, the editor of the French medical journal "TONUS", had started a group called "Secours Médical Français" ("French Medical Relief") in response to the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which killed at least 625,000 in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Borel had intended to recruit doctors to provide aid to victims of natural disasters. On 22 December 1971, the two groups of colleagues merged to form "Médecins Sans Frontières".