Attacks on humanitarian workers

Monument to Canadian Aid Workers in Ottawa, 2005

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.

The foremost collector of data on attacks against humanitarian workers is the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), 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. ^[1] Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) is another database that includes attacks on humanitarian workers in addition to other conflict-related incidents. ^[2] Insecurity Insight produces monthly Aid in Danger reports that highlight attacks during the month from news media, the AWSD and ACLED. ^[3]

In 2017, the Aid Worker Security Database 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. ^[4] 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.^{[ citation needed ]} 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. ^[5] In November 2024, the United Nations reported that the highest number of aid worker deaths on record occurred in 2024. Additionally they stated that 333 aid workers were killed in the Israel-Hamas War, the highest number recorded in a single crisis. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

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. ^[10] 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’. ^[10] 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. ^[10] 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. ^[10]

Aid workers can be targeted for political reasons both directly and by association. ^[10] 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. ^[10] 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). ^[10] 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. ^[10] 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. ^[10]

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. ^[10] In remote areas, they sometimes represent the only accessible western target. ^[10] Although empirical studies on aid worker insecurity have been scarce, two have been conducted in Afghanistan. Watts (2004) ^[11] did not find evidence indicating heightened aid worker insecurity in provinces where the US military was present. Similarly, Mitchell (2015) ^[12] 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. ^[13]
• 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. ^[10]

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. ^[14] Attacks usually either target wounded and sick individuals, health personnel, facilities or medical transport; facilities or medical emblems are misused. ^[15] 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. ^[16] 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. ^[17] 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. ^[18]

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. ^[19]

1964

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• August 17 – Jean Plicque (ILO) and Francois Preziosi (UNHCR) were killed by rebels. Preziosi was the first member of UNHCR to be killed in the line of duty. ^{[20] [21]}

1987-1988

Palestine

• December to February – According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israeli forces regularly attacked ambulances by firing on them, assaulting their crews, or preventing them from transporting patients to hospital. These attacks occurred in various locations including Jabalia, Hableh, Nablus, and Saeer. On January 23, Israeli forces commandeered an ambulance and used it to transport themselves into Bani Na'im village. ^{[22] [23] [24]}

1993

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• January 27 – Three British aid workers from Crown Agents/ UNHCR were ambushed in their vehicle in Zenica. One, Paul Goodall, died and the other two were wounded while fleeing. ^{[25] [26]} Three of the gunmen were later killed by security forces; another was arrested but escaped. ^[27]
• July 5 – Christine Witcutt, a Scottish aid worker from Edinburgh Direct Aid, was shot and killed by a sniper after delivering supplies to a Sarajevo hospital. ^{[28] [29]}
• October 25 – A UN aid convoy was attacked by Serbs, killing a Danish driver. The killing was cited in articles about Serbian attempts to interfere with aid deliveries. ^{[30] [31] [32]}

Somalia

• January 2 – A gunman killed Sean Devreaux, a British worker for UNICEF in Kismayu. ^[33]
• February 22 – Gunmen killed Valerie Place, an Irish nurse with the charity Concern. ^[34]

1995

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• July 11 – Nine ICRC employees were killed during the Srebrenica massacre. Between 2005 and 2011, their bodies were found and identified in mass graves. They are currently buried at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial. ^[35]

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. ^[36]

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. ^[37]

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.

Tajikistan

• December – A French aid worker was taken hostage and died two weeks later during a failed rescue mission by government forces. ^{[38] [39]}

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. ^[40]

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.

West Bank

• March 4 – A PRCS ambulance was attacked by the IDF, causing the oxygen tanks to catch fire. Khalil Suleiman, head of PRCS emergency medical services, was killed and five other ambulance workers were injured. ^{[41] [42] [43]}
• November 22 – Iain Hook, an UNRWA project manager from the UK, was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper in Jenin. Caoimhe Butterly, an Irish human rights activist, was also shot in the foot. ^[44]

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. ^[45]

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. ^{[46] [47]}
• 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. ^[48]
• May 15 — Zmarai Azizi, an 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. ^[46]
• May 30 — Three female Afghan employees of Action Aid and their driver were killed by Taliban in the northern province of Jowzjan . ^{[49] [50]}
• 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. ^[51]

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 – Ten 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 ^[52]

Lebanon

• June 11 – Two Lebanese Red Cross workers were killed during fighting between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam militants at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp. The perpetrator and cause of the deaths are disputed. ^{[53] [54] [55]}

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 .
• 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 .

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 .

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. .
• 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 foodwatershelter was killed during a robbery in Arusha. ^[56]

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. ^[57]

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. ^[58]

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 .

Chechnya

• Two Chechen aid workers were kidnapped and murdered. ^[59]

Gaza

• During Operation Cast Lead, Amnesty International reported that at least 7 Palestinian emergency medical workers were killed and 20 were injured in the line of duty by the Israel Defense Forces. ^[60]

Somalia

• April 19 – Two MSF doctors were kidnapped and released 9 days later in Bakool. .

Pakistan

• October 5 – Three United Nations staff killed in a suicide bombing attack against the office of the World Food Programme in the capital city Islamabad by the Pakistani Taliban. ^[61]

Sudan

• October 22 – A French ICRC delegate was kidnapped and released after 5 months in West Darfur. .

Tanzania

• An Irish volunteer with the group Camara was killed during a suspected mugging in Zanzibar. ^{[62] [63]}

Yemen

• Several aid workers were kidnapped. ^[64]

2010

Afghanistan

• March 27 — Said Anwar was shot and killed by gunmen. ^[65]
• 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. ^{[66] [67]}
• 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). ^{[68] [69]}

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 .

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. ^{[70] [71]}

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. ^{[72] [73] [74] [75]}

2011

Kenya

• October – Two Spanish women who worked for Médecins sans Frontières were kidnapped by gunmen in Dadaab ^[76] 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. ^[77]

Somalia

• December 29 – A doctor and a logistician working for MSF were shot to death in their compound in Mogadishu. ^[78]

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. ^{[79] [80]}
• 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. ^[81]

2012

Pakistan

• July 17 – UN polio vaccine doctor from Ghana was shot in Karachi. His driver was also injured. ^[82]
• 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. ^{[83] [84]}

Yemen

• June – A Yemeni staff member of the ICRC was killed in an air strike by the Yemeni Armed Forces in Abyan. According to his family, he had been working on a colleague's release from kidnappers. ^{[85] [86]}

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. ^[87]

Yemen

• May – Three ICRC staff were kidnapped while working in Abyan and released after a few days. ^{[88] [89]}

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. ^[90]

Syria

• British aid worker David Cawthorne Haines was kidnapped near the Atmeh refugee camp in Idlib Province near the Turkish border. ^[91] He was seized along with an Italian aid worker and two Syrians who were later freed. ^[91] Haines was apparently executed by a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant called Mohammed Emwazi, in September 2014. ^[92]

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. ^[93]

Yemen

• September – Two Yemeni ICRC staff were killed after a gunman fired on their convoy heading to Sanaa. As a result, the ICRC temporarily paused travel in Yemen. ^[94]
• December – A French-Tunisian ICRC staff member was abducted on her way to work in Sanaa. A video of her requesting assistance from French President François Hollande and the ICRC was posted online a few months later. ^[95] She was released in October 2016. ^[96]

2016

Afghanistan

• Five Emirati diplomats on a humanitarian mission were killed in a bombing. ^{[97] [98] [99]}

Nigeria

• A humanitarian convoy was attacked in Borno State, and a UNICEF worker was injured. ^[100]

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. ^[101]

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. ^[102]

Somalia

• October 14 – Six aid workers were killed and 13 seriously wounded by a vehicle-borne IED in Mogadishu. ^[103]

2018

Gaza

• May 14 — Medical staff were shot by the Israeli military while treating protestors during the 2018—2019 Gaza border protests. Canadian physician Tarek Loubani was shot in both legs, and a paramedic was killed. ^{[104] [105] [106]}
• June 1 — Rouzan al-Najjar, a Palestinian Medical Relief Society medic, was shot and killed by the Israeli military while trying to reach injured protesters during the 2018—2019 Gaza border protests. ^{[107] [108] [109]}
• August 10 — A paramedic was shot and killed by the Israeli military while treating an injured protester near the Gaza—Israel barrier. ^{[110] [106]}

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 Boko Haram. ^{[111] [112]} The nurse Alice Loksha, working for UNICEF, was also kidnapped and managed to escape in October 2024 after 6 years in captivity. ^[113]

Yemen

• June — A Lebanese ICRC staff member was shot and killed by an unknown gunman in Taiz. He was traveling in a marked vehicle to work at a prison. ^{[114] [115]}

2019

Afghanistan

• November 24 – United Nations Development Programme aid workers were attacked and one, Anil Raj, was killed in Kabul. ^[116]
• December 04 – Dr. Tetsu Nakamura and five other staff from Peace Japan Medical Services were shot and killed on their way to work in Jalalabad. Nakamura had agreed to travel with security guards after he was warned of a potential attack. ^{[117] [118] [119]}

Gaza

• June — Mohammed Sobhi al-Judeili, a Palestinian Red Crescent Society paramedic, died after being shot in the head by an Israeli sniper during the 2018—2019 Gaza border protests. ^{[120] [110]}

Worldwide

• According to Humanitarian Outcomes, a record number of 277 major attacks took place in 2019. Additionally, 483 aid workers were killed, kidnapped, or wounded, which was the highest number since 1997. ^[121]

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. ^[122]

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• September 16 — In an attack on a World Vision convoy, Mathieu Musharhamina Chengangu was killed and another staff person was seriously injured. Two staff were kidnapped, but their kidnappers let them go due to pressure from locals. ^[123]

Niger

• August 9 – Six French aid workers working for the French NGO ACTED, their Nigerian driver and a companion were killed by jihadists near the town of Koure. The victims were 4 women and 4 men. ^{[124] [125] [126]}

Nigeria

• Five aid workers of Action Against Hunger were abducted and later executed in Borno state by Jihadists. ^[127]

Yemen

• In an attack on Aden airport, at least three ICRC staff were killed and three more injured. ^[128] The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition recorded 24 attacks for the whole year, including 7 deaths and 5 kidnappings. ^[129]

2021

Afghanistan

• August— The United States Central Command attacked a crowded residential area in the August 2021 Kabul drone strike. The strike killed 10 members of an Afghan family, including Zemari Ahmadi, an aid worker for Nutrition & Education International who had applied for refugee status in the US. Initially, the US justified the strike, stating that Ahmadi was an ISIS-K militant planning to attack the airport. After an investigation by The New York Times, the US called the strike a "tragic mistake", stating that Ahmadi had not been a threat. ^{[130] [131] [132]}

Ethiopia

• May 29 – Ethiopian Negasi Kidane, staff member of CISP (International Committee for the Development of Peoples) was killed by a stray bullet in Tigray. ^[133]
• June – Three MSF staff were killed while looking for injured people in the Tigray region. According to investigators, they were shot by the Ethiopian military because a commander did not want MSF staff to work in an active combat zone. ^{[134] [135]}

Myanmar

• February 2021 to January 2022 – 415 attacks against health care workers were recorded, including the killing of 30 health care workers. ^[136]

2022

Iran

• February 2022 to May 2023 – Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was injured while detained on charges of espionage. According to his family and Amnesty International, he was held in "inhumane conditions" equivalent to torture. ^{[137] [138]} He was later released in a prisoner exchange. ^{[139] [140]}

Mali

• June 1 – Two Red Cross workers were killed by members of the militant Islamist organisation Mujao. One victim was a staff member of the Netherlands Red Cross, the other a member of the Malian Red Cross. ^{[141] [142]}

2023

Afghanistan

• 109 attacks on health care workers were recorded. ^{[143] [144]}

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• June 30 — Two aid workers of Tearfund were killed in Butembo when their convoy was attacked. ^[145]

Gaza

• October 11 – Israeli forces killed five IFRC members, one Palestinian ambulance driver, and four Palestinian paramedics in Gaza in two separate instances. ^[146]
• 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." ^[147]

India

• May to November – Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition reported 24 attacks with at least 2 health care workers killed in Manipur. ^[148]

Israel

• October 7 – MDA (Magen David Adom) paramedic Amit Mann was a first responder and transported injured people from the Be’eri massacre to the local clinic. She was killed at the clinic by Palestinian gunmen. ^[149] MDA paramedic Aharon Haimov was killed by Palestinian gunmen while driving an ambulance responding to emergency calls from the battle of Ofakim. ^[150] Argentinian-Israeli and MDA volunteer Lior Rudaeff was killed during the Nir Yitzhak massacre. His body was kidnapped to Gaza by HAMAS. ^[151] German-Israeli United Hatzalah member and MDA volunteer Dolev Yehud was killed by HAMAS during the Nir Oz massacre in line of duty. ^{[152] [153] [154] [155]} United Hatzalah reported that four of their volunteers were injured, including an Arab doctor who was shot and used as a human shield before being rescued by the IDF. ^{[156] [157]}

Mali

• March 4 – Two ICRC staff members were kidnapped and later released on March 20. ^[158]

Myanmar

• 418 attacks on health care were recorded for the whole year, including the killing of 37 health care workers. ^[159]

South Sudan

• November 6 — An aid worker was killed in Greater Pibor Administrative Area while responding to a suspected measles outbreak. ^[160]
• November 11 — An employee of World Vision was killed in Warrap State. ^{[161] [162]}

Sudan

• December 10 — Two ICRC staff were killed and 7 injured during an attack on a aid convoy in Khartoum. ^{[163] [164]}
• April to September 2023 – 257 attacks on health care have been recorded and over 50 health workers have been killed. ^[165]

Ukraine

• January 6 — 47-year-old New Zealand volunteer Dr. Andrew Bagshaw and 28-year-old British aid worker Chris Parry were killed by gunshot wounds to the head and body in the Soledar region. ^[166]
• Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition reported 394 recorded attacks by Russian military forces in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ^{[167] [168]}

Yemen

• September — A Save the Children staff member was held incommunicado by the Houthis. He died a month later while in detention. ^{[169] [170]}

2024

Ethiopia

• January to June – Five aid workers were killed, ten were assaulted, and eleven were kidnapped in the War in Amhara. ^[171]
• August 14 – Ethiopian Yared Melese, a staff member of ASDEPO (Action for Social Development and Environmental Protection Organization) was kidnapped for ransom and killed by a criminal armed group in Dawunt Woreda. ^[172]

Gaza

• January 28 – Two Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) paramedics attempted to rescue Hind Rajab, a five year old girl who was stranded in a car with her relatives' bodies after they were killed by an Israeli tank. The PRCS dispatcher lost contact with Rajab and the paramedics, and their condition was unknown for several days. On February 10, the paramedics were found dead in their ambulance close to the car containing the dead bodies of Rajab and her family. ^{[173] [174]} According to a Forensic Architecture investigation, the Israeli military is responsible, but they have denied involvement. ^[175]
• April 1 – An Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers and their Palestinian driver after entering Gaza. ^[176]
• September 26 – Islam Hijazi, director of Heal Palestine, was killed by three Palestinian gunmen near a hospital in Khan Younis. ^{[177] [178] [179]}
• November 17 – UNRWA reported that 97 of 109 aid trucks entering Gaza were attacked and looted by Palestinian gunmen, causing injuries to staff, near Israeli military installations at the Kerem Shalom crossing. ^{[180] [181]} The Washington Post reported that the Israeli military has been targeting local law enforcement who guard aid trucks, which has contributed to an increase in looting by armed gangs who oppose Hamas. According to a UN memo, the looters may be protected by the Israeli military. ^[182]
• November 30 – Israeli strikes killed multiple aid workers from organizations including Save the Children, World Central Kitchen, and Gaza Soup Kitchen ^{[183] [184]}
• October 2023 to November 2024 – The UN reported that 333 aid workers were killed in the Israel-Hamas War, ^{[6] [7] [8]} the highest number recorded in a single crisis. ^[9]

Mali

• October 14 – An MSF team was attacked and robbed by armed men in the Segou region. ^[185]

Somalia

• April 4 – Turkish aid worker Abdurrahim Yörük and a local aid worker (both working for Verenel Derneği) were killed by Al-Shabaab. They were delivering food aid to a displaced persons camp in Mogadishu when a improvised explosive device (IED) killed them. ^{[186] [187] [188]}

Sudan

• May 2 – Two ICRC drivers were shot and killed in South Darfur. ^[189]
• June 24 – The only maternity hospital in El Fasher was bombed by Rapid Support Forces killing Amna Ahmed Bakhit. ^[190]
• July 1 – Three UN World Food Programme (WFP) trucks on their way to Central Darfur were attacked and looted by armed men. ^[191]
• January to October – The deaths of 25 aid workers have been recorded in the Sudanese civil war (2023–present). ^[192]

Syria

• December 1: Three local humanitarian workers were killed near Aleppo. They worked for Shafak ^[193] and IYD (Insani Yardimlaşma Derneği) ^[194] and were killed while distributing food and assisting civilians in the Syrian civil war. ^{[195] [196]}

Ukraine

• February 1 – Two HEKS/EPER workers were killed and 4 injured when their vehicle was attacked in Beryslav, Khersonska Oblast. ^[197]
• September 12 – Three ICRC members were killed at an aid distribution site in Viroliubivka. ^[198]
• December 2023 to November 2024 – 378 attacks and 65 deaths have been recorded during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. ^{[199] [200] [201]}

Yemen

• June – OHCHR reported that over 60 Yemeni workers from the UN and other NGOs were arrested by the Houthis. They joined at least four UN workers who have been detained since 2021 and 2023. The Houthis claimed to have arrested members of an "American-Israeli spy network" and released videos of ten Yemeni people confessing to being spies. OHCHR said that one of the videos depicted a staff member and that the confession was forced. ^{[202] [203] [204]}

2025

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• January — Two South African and 3 Malawian members of the U.N peacekeeping force (MONUSCO) and a Uruguayan Blue Helmet were killed in eastern Congo. ^{[205] [206] [207]}

Gaza

• January – WFP reported that the Israeli military fired at least 16 bullets at their aid convoy. The attack was condemned by Cindy McCain on X. ^{[208] [209] [210]}

Niger

• January – A 73-year-old Austrian aid worker named Eva Gretzmacher was kidnapped by gunmen in Agadez city. Gretzmacher lived in the city for more than 20 years and worked with various organizations. ^[211]

Yemen

• January – Seven UN workers have been detained after the US president reclassified the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organizations. As a consequence of the detainment of their workers, the UN has suspended its movements into and within Houthi-held areas. ^{[212] [213]}

Further reading

• (2025) Insecurity Insight: "The Sudan Crisis: How Over a Year of Violence and Humanitarian Access Restrictions Have Produced Famine Conditions" Switzerland: Insecurity Insight. bit.ly/SDNFoodJan2025
• (2024) Tarnas, Maia C.; Hamze, Mohamed; Tajaldin, Bachir; Sullivan, Richard; Parker, Daniel M.; Abbara, Aula: "Exploring relationships between conflict intensity, forced displacement, and healthcare attacks: a retrospective analysis from Syria, 2016–2022". Conflict and Health. 18 (1): 70.

See also

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

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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