Attacks on humanitarian workers explained

Humanitarian aid workers belonging to United Nations organisations, PVOs / NGOs or the Red Cross / Red Crescent are among the list of protected persons under international humanitarian law that grant them immunity from attack by belligerent parties. However, attacks on humanitarian workers have occasionally occurred, and become more frequent since the 1990s and 2000s. In 2017, the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) documented 139 humanitarian workers killed in intentional attacks out of the estimated global population of 569,700 workers. In every year since 2013, more than 100 humanitarian workers were killed.^[1] This is attributed to a number of factors, including the increasing number of humanitarian workers deployed, the increasingly unstable environments in which they work, and the erosion of the perception of neutrality and independence. In 2012 road travel was seen to be the most dangerous context, with kidnappings of aid workers quadrupling in the last decade, reaching more aid workers victims than any other form of attack.^[2]

The foremost collector of data on attacks against humanitarian workers is the Aid Worker Security Database, which has strict parameters allowing for the data to be compared across the globe over time, producing useful analysis for the humanitarian, policy and academic community.^[3] Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) is another database that includes attacks on humanitarian workers in addition to other conflict-related incidents.^[4] Insecurity Insight produces monthly Aid in Danger reports that highlight attacks during the month from news media, the AWSD and ACLED.^[5]

Legal basis for the protection of humanitarian workers

The legal basis for the protection of humanitarian workers in armed conflicts is contained in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the related Protocols I and II of 1977. These treaties outline the rights and obligations of non-combatants who fulfill the criteria of protected persons during armed conflicts. These rights include the right to be treated humanely; to have access to food, water, shelter, medical treatment, and communications; to be free from violence to life and person, hostage taking, and humiliating or degrading treatment; and the prohibition against collective punishment or imprisonment. Protected persons include citizens and nationals of countries that are not a party to the conflict, except if such persons happens to be in the territory of a belligerent power, which maintains diplomatic relations with their home states.

While the Geneva Conventions guarantee protection for humanitarian workers, they do not guarantee access of humanitarian workers to affected areas: governments or occupying forces may, if they wish, ban a relief agency from working in their area. Médecins Sans Frontières was created in 1971 with the express purpose of ignoring this restriction, by providing assistance to populations affected by the Biafran civil war despite the prohibitions of the government of Nigeria.

In addition, the Geneva Conventions do not require that parties to the conflict guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers. The Conventions prohibit combatants from attacking protected persons, and they require occupying forces to maintain general order. However, the Conventions do not require that combating parties provide security escorts, for example, when other factions threaten the safety of protected persons operating in their area.

In 2003, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1502 giving greater protection to humanitarian workers and treating attacks on them as a war crime. ICRC promotes a framework for Neutral Independent Humanitarian Action (NIHA) to enable differentiated role understanding.

Motives

The method of targeting foreigners through suicide bombings, IEDs and kidnappings (often closely associated with criminal and political actors) is strong evidence of at least some political motivations against aid workers.^[6] It is very hard often to precisely ascertain a motive; for instance, in 55% of the incidents recorded by the AWSD in 2008, the motive was described as ‘undetermined’.^[6] However, of those that were determined, political motivations have increased (29% of the determined total in 2003 to 49% in 2008) relative to economic motivations, or when the victim's status as an aid worker was only incidental.^[6] Afghanistan, as one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarian workers to operate in is influential in this changing dynamic; in 2007 61% of incidents were carried out by criminals and 39% by political opposition groups, but in 2008, 65% of incidents were the work of armed opposition groups.^[6]

Aid workers can be targeted for political reasons both directly and by association.^[6] Sometimes the humanitarian organisation may be targeted for something that it has done or a statement it has made, or simply for the delivery of aid to a population, to whom others do not wish aid to reach.^[6] It can also be targeted as a result of being associated as an entity collaborating with the 'enemy' (a government, rebel group or foreign power).^[6] The dangers of being associated with specific governments or armed forces have further increased the determination of aid workers to be seen as separate, independent and neutral politically.^[6] However, evidence shows that this has little impact and instead that western aid agencies are perceived as an intrinsic part of the western 'agenda' and not merely associated with it.^[6]

In the case of Afghanistan, with the notable exception of the International Committee of the Red Cross, it has been surmised that locals no longer make distinctions (as they once did) between organisations, e.g. those were working with the coalition force's Provincial Reconstruction Teams and those that did not. In remote areas, they sometimes represent the only accessible western target. Although empirical studies on aid worker insecurity have been scarce, two have been conducted in Afghanistan. Watts (2004)^[7] did not find evidence indicating heightened aid worker insecurity in provinces where the US military was present. Similarly, Mitchell (2015)^[8] was unable to discover a relationship between attacks against NGOs and their proximity to the US military or US-led PRTs respectively; however, his study did reveal that aid workers were more likely to encounter a greater number of security incidents in provinces with PRTs not led by the US.

Trends in risks faced by humanitarian workers

• Wars between states became much less common in the period following the end of the Cold War. Unfortunately, these wars have been largely replaced by an increased incidence of internal conflict and resulting violence and miscommunication, increasing the risk to civilians and humanitarian workers alike.
• Most deaths of aid workers are due to deliberate violence.
• One-third of deaths occur in the first three months of deployment, with 17% occurring within the first 30 days.^[9]
• Since 2006, violence is once again on the increase and growth in the number of incidents is faster than the growth in the number of humanitarian aid workers.^[6]

Attacks on health care

Among all attacks, those on health care are numerous. Hospitals, clinics and ambulances are attacked and health workers are injured or killed. As to the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition initiative there have been 973 attacks on health in 23 countries in 2018.^[10] Attacks usually either target wounded and sick individuals, health personnel, facilities or medical transport; facilities or medical emblems are misused.^[11] These attacks have a negative impact on the overall delivery of health care. Despite the immediate effects of deaths, injuries and the destruction of facilities, the long-term effects are often even more severe. Already weakened health systems, due to present conflicts, get targeted. That can lead to the collapse of entire health systems that are urgently needed in conflicts. The health systems are unable to cope with the situation, people have no access to health care and long-term public health goals are almost impossible to achieve.^[12] Many facilities have to close after attacks, hospitals run out of supplies and health projects, like vaccination campaigns, come to halt. Additionally, staff leave their posts, flee the region or country and international organizations withdraw their staff and/ or close projects.^[13] The general access to health facilities and care is restricted for people in need. The number of people affected indirectly is therefore even higher than the actual number of victims. Moreover, attacks have a negative impact on the psychological well-being of staff and affect their motivation as well as the quality of care provided by them.^[14]

List of major attacks on humanitarian workers

A full downloadable list of major incidents, from 1997–present, of violence against aid workers, can be found at Humanitarian Outcomes' Aid Worker Security Database.^[15]

1964

• Democratic Republic of the Congo: August 17 – Jean Plicque (ILO) and Francois Preziosi (UNHCR) were killed by rebels.^[16]

1993

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: January 27 – ODA / UNHCR aid worker Paul Goodall was shot and killed after a hijacking in Zenica
  July 5 – Scottish aid worker Christine Witcutt was shot and killed by a sniper in Sarajevo.
  October 25 – Danish aid worker Bjarne Vium Nielsen was killed in an attack on a humanitarian aid convoy.
• Somalia: January 2 – A gunman killed Sean Devreaux, a British worker for UNICEF in Kismayu.^[17]
  February 22 – Gunmen killed Valerie Place, an Irish nurse with the charity Concern.^[18]

1996

• Burundi: June 4 – Three ICRC delegates were killed in an attack on two vehicles on the road between the villages of Rugombo and Mugina in Cibitoke Province, resulting in a withdrawal of the ICRC from Burundi.
• Chechnya, Novye Atagi: December 17 – Six ICRC workers were killed in an attack on the local hospital. As a result, ICRC withdrew all expatriate staff from Chechnya.
• Guatemala: One Costa Rican Salvation Army officer was attacked by demobilized guerrilla members while transporting a senior citizen with a broken leg to the hospital. The vehicle was taken.

1997

• Guatemala: When returning from a mission, a Costa Rican Salvation Army officer was abducted by gunmen and held hostage for a short time. The vehicle was taken.
• Somalia: November 23 – The UN negotiated with clan elders for the release of five kidnapped aid workers in Somaliland region.
  November 26 – All foreign aid workers withdrew from the city following the abduction of two Italian aid workers in Mogadishu.

1998

• Burundi: June 10 – A Danish aid worker was killed by car thieves in Bujumbura.
  July 24 – An Italian World Food Programme (WFP) staff member was killed in Bujumbura.
• Republic of the Congo: November – Major Eugene Nsingani of The Salvation Army was gunned down and killed along with five others on a peace mission .
• Rwanda: July 10 – A Ugandan driver for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was killed by rebels in Arua.
• Somalia: April 21 – 10 aid workers were held hostage.
• Sudan: June 10 – Three Sudanese UN staff were killed and three wounded when gunmen opened fire on a UN vehicle.

1999

• Angola: June 15 – Two aid workers were killed when gunmen ambushed and robbed them.
• Lesotho: February 4 – Irish aid worker Ken Hickley was robbed and murdered.
• Serbia: May 26 – Three aid workers were put on trial for spying Belgrade.
• Somalia: January 27 – A Kenyan aid worker was killed by gunmen.
• South Sudan: January 4 – Four ICRC staff were killed by the SPLA
• Tajikistan: October 2 – A French aid worker was killed.
• Uganda: April 23 – Many aid workers in Bundibugyo fled the area to avoid attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces.

2000

• Afghanistan: December 9 – Seven people working for the UN mine clearance programme were killed in an ambush.
• Burundi: December 30 – A British voluntary worker was one of 20 people killed by gunmen.
• Ethiopia: February 9 – A medical organisation suspended operations in parts of Ethiopia after the killing of a staff member.
• Guinea: September 17 – Killing of one UNHCR staff member and the abduction of another in Macenta.
  December 7 – Hundreds of people were killed after rebels destroyed a UNHCR centre.
• Iraq: June 28 – Two FAO workers were shot and killed in Baghdad.
• Indonesia: December 10 – Three aid workers were killed in Aceh.
  May 22 – Foreign aid workers pulled out of the island to escape growing inter-communal violence in Ambon.
  September 6 – Five UNHCR staff members, Samson Aregahegn (Supply Officer); Carlos Caceres-Collazo (Protection Officer); and Pero Simundza (Telecommunications Operator) and two Indonesians were killed when their office was attacked by militia in Atambua, Belu Regency, West Timor.
• Rwanda: March 2 – A Liberian Voluntary Humanitarian Samuel W. Sargbah was killed in his car in Kigali.
• Sierra Leone: June 19 – British aid worker Alan Smith was freed after being held for one month by rebels.
• Somalia: January 3 – A local CARE staff was shot dead in an ambush in Balad.
  January 4 – A CARE worker was shot dead in an ambush North of Mogadishu.
  January 31 – Attacks on a convoy of aid vehicles left 20 people dead.
• Sudan: January 9 – Two CARE staff were killed and 2 went missing after an ambush.
• South Sudan: August 6 – Eight aid workers were killed when their vehicle was attacked near the border with Uganda.

2001

• Afghanistan: November 15 – Eight western aid workers were released after three months of captivity by Taliban.
• Chechnya: April 18 – Aid worker Viktor Popkov was fatally wounded and two others injured in a shooting attack in Alkhan-Kala.
• Democratic Republic of Congo: February 27 – Six ICRC staff were killed.
• Indonesia: October 4 – Three people, including a Red Cross worker who had been tortured, were killed in Banda Aceh.
• Somalia: March 27 – The MSF compound was attacked by gunmen in Mogadishu.
• Tajikistan: June 16 – Kidnappers asked for the release of detained militants after taking a group of aid workers hostage.

2002

• Dagestan: August 12 – A Dutch MSF worker was abducted in Makhachkala. He was released 20 months later.^[19]
• Somalia: February 23 – A Swiss woman who ran a small aid agency was shot dead in Mogadishu.
  February 28 – A Somali UN worker was kidnapped in Mogadishu hours after the region was declared too dangerous for permanent UN presence.

2003

• Afghanistan: November 16 – UNHCR staff person Bettina Goislard was shot dead by a motorcycle-borne gunman while travelling by car in Ghazni.
  March 24 – ICRC staff member Ricardo Munguia was shot and killed in an ambush north of Kandahar. He was working as a water engineer in Afghanistan and travelling with local colleague when their car was stopped by unknown armed men. He was killed execution-style at point-blank range while his colleagues were allowed to escape. The killing prompted the ICRC to temporarily suspend operations across Afghanistan.^[20]
• Gaza Strip: March 16 – Rachel Corrie an American member of ISM was killed by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bulldozer when attempting to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian's home.
  April 11 – Tom Hurndall was a British photography student and member of ISM who was killed by an IDF sniper. Hurndall was left in a coma and died nine months later. His killer Taysir Hayb was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for manslaughter and obstruction of justice but was released after serving six and a half years of his sentence.
• Iraq: August 19 – The bombing of the UN Headquarters at the Canal Hotel killed at least 24 people including UN Special Representative for Iraq Sérgio Vieira de Mello and wounded over 100 in Baghdad.
  October 27 – An attack on the ICRC building killed at least 12 people in Baghdad.

2004

• Afghanistan: February 26 – Five Afghans working for the Sanayee Development Foundation were killed when their vehicle was ambushed northeast of Kabul.
  April 28 – Two Afghan aid workers and a soldier were killed in an attack in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar.
  June 2 – Five staff working for Médecins Sans Frontières were killed on the road between Khairkhana and Qala e Naw in Badghis Province, resulting in the complete withdrawal of MSF from Afghanistan. The names of the murdered staff were: Hélène de Beir, Willem Kwint, Egil Tynaes, Fasil Ahmad and Besmillah.
• Iraq: March 15 – Larry Elliott, Jean Dover Elliott, Karen Denise Watson, and David McDonnall were killed in a drive-by shooting in Mosul. They were US missionaries for Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
• Sudan: October 10 – A Save the Children vehicle was hit by an anti-tank landmine in the Um Barro area in North Darfur. Two members of staff travelling in the vehicle were killed, namely Rafe Bullick (British, Programme Manager, North Darfur) and Nourredine Issa Tayeb (Sudanese, Water Engineer).

2005

• Iraq: April 16 – Marla Ruzicka, founder of the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), and her Iraqi translator, Faiz Ali Salim, were killed by a suicide car bombing on Airport Road in Baghdad.
• South Sudan: November 5 – Collin Lee, who worked for International Aid Services died when his jeep, containing his wife and driver, was ambushed by the LRA.

2006

• Afghanistan: March 4 — Mohammed Hashim, an employee of UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), was killed while monitoring project sites in Farah Province.^{[21] [22]}
  May — Two Afghan staff members from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a driver were killed in a remote controlled bomb attack in Daraeem district.^[23]
  May 15 — Zmarai Azizi, a Afghan doctor working for Malteser International and his local driver Sirajuddin Noorzai, working for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were killed and one aid worker was seriously wounded when gunmen attacked their car in the Korkh district of western Herat province.
  May 30 — Three female Afghan employees of Action Aid and their driver were killed by Taliban in the northern province of Jowzjan .^{[24] [25]}
  September 12 —Yar Mohammed, an employee of UN-HABITAT, was killed and a second man was injured by gunmen in the western province of Farah, near the village of Shoorab.^[26]
• Sri Lanka

May 15 – An employee of the Norwegian Refugee Council was shot dead on his way back from work in Vavuniya.
August 6 – 17 workers from the aid group Action Against Hunger were found murdered in Muttur. They were working on post-2004 tsunami reconstruction. There had been fierce fighting in the area for more than a week. (See Muttur massacre.)

2007

• Algeria

December 11 – 10 United Nations staff died in a double car bombing in the capital, Algiers, which killed at least 26 people and injured 177.

• Burundi

December 31 – An Action Against Hunger vehicle was targeted by shooters in Ruyigi. Five people, including three female expatriate staff of Action Against Hunger, were inside the vehicle. One of them, a French psychologist, died upon arrival at the hospital in Gitega as a result of her injuries. The second victim suffered a gunshot wound. The third expatriate escaped uninjured.

• Central African Republic

June 11 – An MSF logistician was killed when her car was hit by gunfire during an assessment mission near Paoua https://archive.today/20130722080037/http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=2061.

• Lebanon: June 11 – Two Lebanese Red Cross workers were killed and a third wounded at El Bared refugee camp.http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/12/lebanon.assault/index.html
• South Sudan: A driver of the World Food Program was killed in an ambush.
• Sri Lanka: June 3 – Two Red cross workers were abducted and murdered in Colombo.
• Somalia: December 26 – A nurse and a doctor working for MSF in Bossaso were abducted. After one week, they were released https://archive.today/20130722075959/http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=2381.
  March 23 – 2007 Mogadishu TransAVIAexport Airlines Il-76 crash
• Sudan, Darfur: between 1 January 2006 and 31 August 2007 – A total of 12 humanitarian workers were killed, including four working for the Sudanese government's water project.

2008

• Afghanistan: January 14 – Six people, including at least one aid worker from the USA named Thor Hesla, were killed in an attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul.
  January 26 – An aid worker and her Afghan driver were kidnapped in Kandahar, they are presumed dead.
  August 13 – Three female International Rescue Committee (IRC) workers and their local driver were killed in an ambush as they drove back to Kabul from Logar Province. One was an American national.
  October 20 – An aid worker with SERVE Afghanistan was killed as she walked to work in Kabul.
• Chad: May 1 – The country director of Save the Children UK was shot dead when his car was attacked near Hadjer Hadid http://www.patronusanalytical.com/files/Save%20the%20Children%20Aid%20Worker%20Killed%20in%20Chad.php.
• Ethiopia: September 22 – A nurse and a doctor working for Medecins du Monde were kidnapped in Fadhigaradle village (Somali Region) and taken across the border to Somalia. They were released 4 months later https://bielbienne.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/medecins-du-monde-announces-the-release-of-its-two-volunteers-keiko-akahane-and-wilhem-sools-abducted-on-september-22-2008-in-ethiopia-and-held-in-somalia/.
• Somalia: January 28 – A surgeon, a logistician and a driver working for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) were killed when their convoy was attacked between the hospital and their base in Kismayo. https://archive.today/20130722084117/http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=2481.
  October 17 – A senior programme assistant for the World Food Programme (WFP) was shot and killed as he left a mosque in Merka.
  October 25 – A local worker with the aid agency Iida was killed as she returned from work in Gurilel.
• Sri Lanka: May 16 – A Batticaloa-based employee of the Norwegian Refugee Council was abducted while visiting Colombo and disappeared, presumed dead.
• Tanzania: June 30 – An Australian working with the nonprofit organisation foodwatershelter was killed during a robbery in Arusha.

2009

• Afghanistan: October 28 – Five United Nations staff, two Afghan security personnel, and an Afghan civilian were killed by three Taliban attackers in an assault on the Bekhtar Guesthouse in Kabul. Nine other UN staff, also there working for the presidential election, were wounded.^[27]
• Central African Republic: November 22 – Two French aid workers employed by Triangle Generation Humanitaire were kidnapped in Birao and held for 4 months before being freed in Darfur.^[28]
• Chad: August 4 – A logistician working for MSF and his Chadian assistant were kidnapped in Ade. The Chadian was freed soon afterwards while the logistician was released a month later http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8232896.stm.
• Chechnya: Two Chechen aid workers were kidnapped and murdered.^[29]
• Somalia: April 19 – Two MSF doctors were kidnapped and released 9 days later in Bakool. https://web.archive.org/web/20100616194909/http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=3571&cat=press-release.
• Pakistan: 5 October – Three United Nations staff killed in a suicide bombing attack against the office of the World Food Programme in the capital city Islamabad by Islamist militants (Taliban).^[30]
• Sudan: October 22 – A French ICRC delegate was kidnapped and released after 5 months in West Darfur. http://www.panapress.com/Kidnapped-iCRC-worker-freed-in-Sudan--12-534419-30-lang2-index.html.
• Tanzania: An Irish charity worker was killed during a mugging in Zanzibar.^[31]
• Yemen: Several aid workers were kidnapped.^[32]

2010

• Afghanistan: March 27 — Said Anwar was shot and killed by gunmen.^[33]
  August 7 – Ten men and women who were working for a Christian aid agency were murdered by the Taliban. Two Afghan interpreters, six Americans, a British woman and a German woman who had been running an eye clinic in the country died of gunshot wounds. Sabjullah Mujaheed, a Taliban spokesman, said later that they had been killed because they were missionaries and spies for the United States.^{[34] [35]}
  December 24 — A German aid worker was killed and an Afghan colleague was injured on their way to Mazar-i-Sharif by Islamist militants (Taliban).^{[36] [37]}
• Chad: June 6 – A logistician working for Oxfam GB was kidnapped in Abéché. He was rescued 10 days later by security forces near the border with Sudan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10327194.
• Gaza Strip: May 31 – The Israeli navy killed 9 members of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" attempting to bring aid to the Gaza Strip and breach the Israeli naval blockade. The Gaza flotilla raid caused worldwide controversy.^{[38] [39]}
• Pakistan: March 10 — Six employees of the U.S. based christian NGO World Vision International were killed and six severely injured when their office in the Mansehra district was targeted for "running programs to help women" in the North-West Frontier Province. 15 Islamist militants stormed the office, started shooting, threw a bomb and left.^{[40] [41] [42] [43]}

2011

• Kenya: October – Two Spanish women who worked for Médecins sans Frontières were kidnapped by gunmen in Dadaab^[44] and released in July 2013.
• Nigeria

August 26 – The United Nations Headquarters in Abuja was attacked by a suicide car bomber, killing at least 18 people, injuring dozens, and causing massive devastation to the building itself. Boko Haram claimed responsibility.^[45]

• Somalia: December 29 – A doctor and a logistician working for MSF were shot to death in their compound in Mogadishu.^[46]
• Syria

September 7 – An attack on an ambulance by unknown assailants injured three rescuers and the wounded patient it was transporting in Homs, one of the rescuers, Hakam Drak Sibai, died due to his wounds.^{[47] [48]}
December 23 – Two United Nations aid workers and a 3rd colleague were shot to death in Mataban, Hiran. The UN workers, who worked specifically for the World Food Program, had been monitoring the distribution of food and camps for internally displaced peoples. United Nations operations in Mataban were temporarily suspended.^[49]

2012

• Pakistan: July 17 – UN polio vaccine doctor from Ghana was shot in Karachi. His driver was also injured.^[50]
  December 17 – Four female employees of a polio eradication program and one young female volunteer were killed in a planned attack by Islamist militants in Karachi and Peshawar.^{[51] [52]}

2013

• South Sudan: July 4 — Two employees of World Vision, Sabil Mansour and Ali Ibrahim were killed due to a grenade explosion at their compound near Nyala.^[53]
• Syria: August 3 – A worker for Support to Life, Kayla Mueller, was kidnapped by ISIS and killed in Aleppo in 2015.

2014

• Afghanistan: Two Finnish aid workers with the International Assistance Mission, a Christian medical charity, were shot and killed in Herat by two men on motorbikes. The women were in a taxi when shot.^[54]
• Syria: British aid worker David Cawthorne Haines was kidnapped near the Atmeh refugee camp in Idlib Province near the Turkish border.^[55] He was seized along with an Italian aid worker and two Syrians who were later freed.^[55] Haines was apparently executed by a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant called Mohammed Emwazi, in September 2014.^[56]
• Ukraine: An ICRC worker was killed by a shell in Donetsk.

2015

• Afghanistan: October 30 – The Kunduz hospital airstrike by the United States military killed 42 Médecins Sans Frontières staff and patients.^[57]

2016

• Afghanistan: Five Emiratis (Mohammed Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, Abdullah Mohammed Essa Obaid Al Kaabi, Ahmed Rashid Salim Ali Al Mazroui, Ahmed Abdul Rahman Ahmad Al Tunaiji, and Abdul Hamid Sultan Abdullah Ibrahim Al Hammadi) carrying out humanitarian work were killed in a terrorist bomb attack.^[58]
• Nigeria: A humanitarian convoy was attacked in Borno State and a UNICEF worker was injured.^[59]
• Syria: Around twenty civilians and one SARC staff member were killed, as they were unloading trucks carrying vital humanitarian aid. Much of the aid was destroyed.^[60]

2017

• Nigeria: January 17 – Six aid workers were killed, 8 seriously wounded, and numerous civilians were killed following a government airstrike on a refugee camp in Rann, Borno State.^[61]
• Somalia: October 14 – Six aid workers were killed and 13 seriously wounded by a vehicle-borne IED in Mogadishu.^[62]

2018

• Nigeria: March 1 — Three humanitarian workers and eight security forces were killed. Midwives Saifura Khorsa and Hauwa Liman, both working for ICRC, were kidnapped and murdered months later on September 16 and October 16 by an Islamist terrorist jihadist organization (Boko Haram).^{[63] [64]} The nurse Alice Loksha, working for UNICEF, was also kidnapped and managed to escape in October 2024 after 6 years in captivity.^[65]

2019

• Afghanistan: November 24 – United Nations Development Programme aid workers were attacked and one, Anil Raj, was killed in Kabul.^[66]
  December 04 – Dr. Tetsu Nakamura and five of his workers (Peace Japan Medical Services) have been attacked and killed on their way to work in Jalalabad. His staff died on the scene, he received treatment but died too. It was known that he was a possible target and he implemented security measures.^{[67] [68] [69]}
• Worldwide: An independent humanitarian research organization, Humanitarian Outcomes, conducted a survey revealing that in 2019, a record number of 277 major attacks took place against aid workers. Besides, 483 aid workers were killed, kidnapped or wounded in that year, which was the highest number since 1997.^[70]

2020

• Afghanistan: May 12 – An attack by gunmen on the maternity ward of Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul, run by MSF, resulted in the death of at least 24 people – including mothers, young children, and an MSF midwife.^[71]
• Congo: September 16 — Mathieu Musharhamina Chengangu was killed, one man was injured and two were kidnapped and released hours later in the Lubero territory. All worked for World Vision. ^[72]
• Niger: August 9 – Six French aid workers working for the French NGO ACTED, their Nigerien driver and a companion were killed by jihadists near the town of Koure. The victims were 4 women and 4 men.^{[73] [74] [75]}
• Yemen: In an attack on Aden airport, at least three ICRC staff were killed and three more injured.^[76] The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition recorded 24 attacks for the whole year, including 7 deaths and 5 kidnappings.^[77]
• Nigeria: Five aid workers of ACF were abducted and later executed in Borno state by Jihadists.^[78]

2021

• Ethiopia: June – Three MSF staff were killed in the Tigray region.^[79]
• Myanmar: February 2021 to January 2022 – 415 attacks against health care workers have been recorded, this number includes 30 health care workers that have been killed.^[80]

2022

• Iran: February 22 – Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was sentenced to 74 lashes and 40 years in prison for espionage. The Belgian government called the charges "fabricated",^[81] and the UN called his imprisonment a "flagrant violation of international law".^[82] He was detained for 455 days in poor conditions, including torture and lack of medical care, and released in exchange for Asadollah Assadi.^[83]
• Mali: June 1 – Two Red Cross workers were killed while driving their car near Kayes by Islamist militants (Mujao). One was a staff member of the Netherlands Red Cross, the other a member of the Malian Red Cross.^{[84] [85]}

2023

• Afghanistan: 109 attacks on health care workers have been recorded. Women were banned from working for international nongovernmental organizations under Taliban regime.^[86]
• Congo: June 30 — Two aid workers of Tearfund were killed in Butembo when their convoy was attacked.^[87]
• Gaza: October 11 – Israeli forces killed five IFRC members, one Palestinian ambulance driver, and four Palestinian paramedics in Gaza in two separate instances.^[88]
  October 7 to November 2 – 72 UNRWA personnel were killed in Gaza. According to UNRWA, this is "the highest number of UN civilian aid workers killed in a conflict in such a short time, in recent history."^[89]
• India: May to November – 24 attacks have been recorded, at least 2 health care workers have been killed in Manipur State.^[90]
• Mali: March 4 – Two ICRC staff members were kidnapped on the road between Gao and Kidal. They were released on March 20.^[91]
• Myanmar: 418 attacks on health care were recorded for the whole year, those numbers include 37 health care workers that have been killed.^[92]
• South Sudan: November 6 — A team of aid workers responded to a suspected measles outbreak, one aid worker was killed in Greater Pibor Administrative Area.^[93]
  November 11 — An employee of World Vision was killed in Warrap State.^{[94] [95]}
• Sudan: December 10 — Two ICRC staff were killed and 7 injured during an intentional attack on a aid convoy in Khartoum.^{[96] [97]}
  April to September 2023 – 257 attacks on health care have been recorded and over 50 health workers have been killed.^[98]
• Ukraine: 394 recorded attacks by Russian Federation military forces in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^{[99] [100]}

2024

• Ethiopia: January to June – Five aid workers were killed, 10 assaulted and 11 kidnapped in the War in Amhara.^[101]
• Gaza: April 1 – An Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers and their Palestinian driver after entering Gaza.^[102]
  September 26 – Islam Hijazi, director of Heal Palestine was killed by three Palestinian gunmen near a hospital in Khan Younis.^{[103] [104] [105]}
  November 17 – Of 109 aid trucks entering Gaza 97 were attacked and looted by Palestinian gunmen. Drivers had to unload trucks at gun point, aid workers were injured, and trucks were severely damaged.^[106]
  November 30 – Israeli strikes killed multiple aid workers from organizations including Save the Children, World Central Kitchen, and Gaza Soup Kitchen^{[107] [108]}
  October 2023 to November 2024 – The UN reported that 333 aid workers were killed in the Israel-Hamas War,^{[109] [110] [111]} the highest number recorded in a single crisis.^[112]
• Sudan: May 2 – Two ICRC drivers were shot and killed in South Darfur.^[113]
  June 24 – The only maternity hospital in El Fasher was bombed by Rapid Support Forces killing Amna Ahmed Bakhit.^[114]
  July 1 – Three UN World Food Programme (WFP) trucks on their way to Central Darfur were attacked and looted by armed men.^[115]
  January to October – The deaths of 25 aid workers have been recorded in the Sudanese civil war (2023–present).^[116]
• Ukraine: February 1 – Two humanitarian aid workers of HEKS/EPER were killed and 4 injured when their vehicle was attacked in Beryslav, Khersonska Oblast.^[117]
  September 12 – Three ICRC members were killed at an aid distribution site in Viroliubivka village.^[118]
  December 2023 to November 2024 – 378 attacks and 65 deaths have been recorded during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.^{[119] [120] [121]}

See also

• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
• Monument to Canadian Aid Workers
• World Humanitarian Day

References

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58. Web site: 11 January 2017 . Five Emiratis killed in Afghanistan attack . 2019-09-11 . The National . en.
59. Web site: UNICEF statement on attack on humanitarian convoy in northeastern Nigeria . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200626002844/https://www.unicef.org/media/media_92039.html . 2020-06-26 . 2019-09-11 . UNICEF.
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61. Web site: Nigerian fighter jet strikes refugees, aid workers in Borno. Stephanie Busari . Ibrahim Sawab. CNN. 17 January 2017. 2020-05-13.
62. News: Jason . Burke . 2017-10-16. Mogadishu truck bomb: 500 casualties in Somalia's worst terrorist attack. en-GB. The Guardian. 2020-05-13. 0261-3077.
63. News: 2018-10-15 . Boko Haram faction kills second aid worker in Nigeria . 2024-12-03 . en-GB.
64. Web site: 2018-10-16 . Nigeria: Health worker Hauwa Mohammed Liman executed in captivity International Committee of the Red Cross . 2024-12-03 . www.icrc.org . en.
65. News: Mandavilli . Apoorva . Maclean . Ruth . 2024-11-23 . She Faked a Religious Conversion to Escape Terrorists . 2024-12-03 . The New York Times.
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71. Web site: MSF pulls out of Kabul hospital after maternity ward attack. 2021-11-05. www.aljazeera.com. en.
72. Web site: World Vision staff victims of attack on humanitarian convoy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . 2024-12-03 . www.wvi.org . en.
73. Web site: 2021-09-16 . French troops kill top jihadist accused of killing aid workers, wanted by US . 2024-11-29 . RFI . en.
74. Web site: 2020-09-17 . IS group claims August killing of French aid workers in Niger . 2024-11-29 . France 24 . en.
75. Web site: 2020-08-11. Troops launch manhunt after Niger aid worker killings, France initiates terror probe. 2021-11-05. France 24. en.
76. Web site: 2020-12-30. Yemen: 3 ICRC staff members killed in airport blast. 2021-11-05. International Committee of the Red Cross. en.
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78. Web site: Jihadists in northeast Nigeria execute five abducted humanitarian workers. 22 July 2020.
79. Web site: Ethiopia: Three MSF staff killed in attack. 2021-11-05. Doctors Without Borders - USA. en.
80. Web site: "Our Health Workers Are Working in Fear": After Myanmar's Military Coup, One Year of Targeted Violence against Health Care . 2024-11-28 . PHR . en-US.
81. News: Biesemans . Bart . 2023-05-27 . Freed Belgian aid worker lost weight, not sense of humour, during Iran ordeal . Reuters.
82. Web site: 2023-01-17 . Iran’s detention of Belgian aid worker a 'flagrant violation of international law': UN rights experts UN News . 2024-11-26 . news.un.org . en.
83. Web site: Iran: Tortured Belgian Aid Worker Forcibly Disappeared . 2024-11-26 . Amnesty . en.
84. News: 2022-06-03 . Mali: Two Red Cross workers killed in attack . 2024-11-29 . en.
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87. Web site: Tearfund staff killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . 2024-12-03 . Tearfund . en.
88. Web site: November 10, 2023 . Five IFRC network members killed. Civilians and healthcare workers must be respected and protected . October 16, 2024 . www.ifrc.org.
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90. Web site: 2024-08-07 . India (Manipur State Only): Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2023 - India ReliefWeb . 2024-11-28 . reliefweb.int . en.
91. Web site: 2023-03-20 . Mali: Two abducted staff members from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) released ICRC . 2024-11-29 . www.icrc.org . en.
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93. Web site: 2023-11-10 . Humanitarian worker killed in Greater Pibor . 2024-12-03 . Radio Tamazuj . en-US.
94. Web site: 2023-11-14 . Statement on Attacks on Aid Workers in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area and in Warrap State, South Sudan . 2024-12-03 . U.S. Embassy in South Sudan . en-US.
95. Web site: 2023-11-13 . Humanitarian killed along Kuajok-Wau Road . 2024-12-03 . Radio Tamazuj . en-US.
96. News: 2023-12-10 . Sudan war: Two people killed in attack on aid convoy in Sudan, says Red Cross . 2024-12-03 . en-GB.
97. Web site: 2023-12-10 . Sudan: ICRC deplores deliberate and deadly attack on its humanitarian convoy in Khartoum . 2024-12-03 . www.icrc.org . en.
98. Web site: 2024-09-18 . Sudan: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2023 [EN/AR] - Sudan ReliefWeb ]. 2024-11-28 . reliefweb.int . en.
99. Web site: 2024-07-19 . Ukraine: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2023 [EN/UK] - Ukraine ReliefWeb ]. 2024-11-28 . reliefweb.int . en.
100. https://www.diis.dk/en/research/the-war-in-ukraine-poses-unprecedented-threats-to-aid-workers "The war in Ukraine poses unprecedented threats to aid workers" 21 February 2024
101. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-weighs-suspending-relief-ethiopias-amhara-after-aid-workers-attacked-document-2024-10-08/ "UN weighs suspending relief to Ethiopia's Amhara after aid workers attacked, document shows" by Reade Levinson and Giulia Paravicini. October 8, 2024
102. Web site: Foreigners among World Central Kitchen staff killed in Israeli strike, Gaza authorities and aid group say. CNN. 2 April 2024. 2 April 2024.
103. News: Al-Mughrabi . Nidal . 2024-09-27 . Gunmen shoot and kill aid worker in Gaza, charity and family say . live . http://archive.today/2024.09.27-190157/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gunmen-shoot-kill-aid-worker-gaza-charity-family-say-2024-09-27/ . 2024-09-27 . Reuters.
104. News: Halabi . Einav . 2024-09-27 . Hamas terrorists murder Gazan mother after refusing to give charity funds . 2024-11-30 . Ynetnews . en.
105. Web site: Admin . Heal . 2024-11-04 . Honoring the Legacy of Islam Hijazy, Our Beloved Gaza Program Manager . 2024-11-30 . HEAL Palestine . en-US.
106. Web site: Humayun . Hira . Lockwood . Pauline . 2024-11-19 . Nearly a hundred aid trucks looted in Gaza, as UN warns of ‘collapse of law and order’ . 2024-11-30 . CNN . en.
107. News: Alam . Anam . 2024-12-01 . Save the Children aid worker killed by Israeli strike in Khan Younis . New Arab.
108. Web site: Israel kills more aid workers in Gaza who feed Palestinians . 2024-12-01 . Al Jazeera . en.
109. Web site: Haddad . Mohammed . Ali . Marium . 25 Nov 2024 . Targeting humanitarians? More aid workers killed in 2024 than ever . 2024-11-26 . Al Jazeera . en.
110. News: McKernan . Bethan . 2024-12-01 . Unrwa suspends aid deliveries through main Gaza route after convoy attacked . 2024-12-01 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
111. Web site: 2024-11-22 . 2024 deadliest year ever for aid workers, UN humanitarian office reports . 2024-11-26 . UN News . en.
112. Web site: 2024-09-23 . The number of aid workers killed in Gaza in the past year is the highest ever in a single crisis. . 2024-11-26 . United Nations Question of Palestine . en-US.
113. Web site: 2024-05-02 . Sudan: Two ICRC drivers killed by gunmen . 2024-11-29 . www.icrc.org . en.
114. Web site: 2024-06-24 . Sudan: WHO appalled by horrific attack on El Fasher’s maternity hospital UN News . 2024-11-30 . news.un.org . en.
115. Web site: 2024-07-01 . Sudan: UN food convoy attacked, supplies looted amid worsening crisis UN News . 2024-11-30 . news.un.org . en.
116. Web site: 2024-11-05 . Aid Worker Security Database Signal Alert: National aid workers facing increased fatal attacks in Sudan (29 October 2024) [EN/AR] - Sudan ReliefWeb ]. 2024-11-28 . reliefweb.int . en.
117. Web site: Death of two HEKS/EPER staff in Ukraine caused by drone attacks HEKS . 2024-12-01 . en.heks.ch . en.
118. Web site: 2024-09-12 . Ukraine: 3 ICRC staff killed after shelling hits aid distribution site in Donetsk region International Committee of the Red Cross . 2024-12-01 . www.icrc.org . en.
119. Web site: 1000 days of war in Ukraine: resilience in health response, recovery and reform efforts despite attacks and ongoing challenges . 2024-11-28 . www.who.int . en.
120. Web site: 2024-11-15 . Ukraine: Partners emergency response to attacks - Update #16 as of 15 November 2024 as reported to the Health Cluster - Ukraine ReliefWeb . 2024-11-28 . reliefweb.int . en.
121. Web site: THE RELENTLESS VIOLENCE AGAINST AID WORKERS MUST STOP United Nations in Ukraine . 2024-12-01 . ukraine.un.org . en.

External links

• IRC Suspends Activity in Afghanistan after the Murder of Four Employees Central Asia Health Review. Aug. 14, 2008
• UNHCR Report on Atambua killings
• Extract from Human Rights Watch report Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Internally Displaced Persons
• Paying the Ultimate Price: Analysis of the deaths of humanitarian aid workers (1997–2001)
• Security Advice for Aid Workers (Aid Workers Network)
• ECHO Generic Security Guide for Humanitarian Organisations
• ICRC – Neutral and independent humanitarian action – Consolidated report of the Commissions
• Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and Small Arms Survey
• Protect Interpreters from Threats, Kidnapping, Injury, Death and Imprisonment
• Christine Witcutt Memorial Fund
• RedR UK – an international NGO that provides recruitment, training and support services for humanitarian professionals across the world
• Centre for Safety and Development
• HPG -Providing aid in insecure environments: trends in policy and operations
• HPG In the Line of Fire
• HPG No Relief
• ALNAP The State of the Humanitarian System