Following the murder of four UNHCR staff members in less than two weeks, thousands of humanitarian workers gathered worldwide last Thursday to mourn their loss and to highlight the need for better protection.
Analysis: Samson Aregahegn, Carlos Caceres-Collazo and Pero Simundza were murdered by machete-wielding militiamen in Atambua, West Timor. It was whilst the world was grieving their loss, the news of the brutal attack in Macenta, Guinea became known. Mensah Kpognon was murdered by unidentified armed men. His colleague, Laurence Djeya was abducted by the same attackers and she remains missing.
These attacks are the most recent examples of a distressing trend where the safety of humanitarian workers is violated. The total number of civilians who have lost their lives since 1992 while serving the UN has now reached 198.
Other international relief groups have also suffered. In December 1996, six workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross who were bringing aid to victims of the civil war in Chechnya were killed as they slept. At the start of this year, two CARE employees were shot dead in the Sudan.
As the marches now demonstrate, aid workers are re-examining their seemingly straightforward mandate to save lives and reduce suffering while ignoring the surrounding politics.
What can be done? Governments must in every situation build respect for the rules of the Geneva Conventions and ensure the highest regard for the neutrality of humanitarian workers and for organizations like the ICRC.
When we think of Samson Aregahegn, Carlos Caceres-Collazo and Pero Simundza, we are reminded of those exceptional individuals devoted to the humanitarian impulse – even at the risk of their lives.
As we share in the sorrow of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, and her colleagues, perhaps we must take this time to rededicate ourselves to living by the principles that we all profess to support.
