Атаки на гуманитарных работников: анализ и правовая защита.

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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. 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. 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. Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) is another database that includes attacks on humanitarian workers in addition to other conflict related incidents. Insecurity Insight produces monthly Aid in Danger reports that highlight attacks during the month from news media, the AWSD and ACLED.

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.

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. 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’. did not find evidence indicating heightened aid worker insecurity in provinces where the US military was present. Similarly, Mitchell (2015) 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.

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. 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. Attacks usually either target wounded and sick individuals, health personnel, facilities or medical transport; facilities or medical emblems are misused. 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. 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. 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.

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.

Democratic Republic of the Congo – Jean Plicque (ILO) and Francois Preziosi (UNHCR) were killed by rebels.

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. Novye Atagi, Chechnya – 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, 1996 – 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.

Somaliland region, Somalia – November 23 – The UN negotiated with clan elders for the release of five kidnapped aid workers. Mogadishu, Somalia – November 26 – All foreign aid workers withdrew from the city following the abduction of two Italian aid workers. Guatemala – 1997 – 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 – April 21 – 10 aid workers were held hostage. Bujumbura, Burundi – June 10 – A Danish aid worker was killed by car thieves. Sudan – June 10 – Three Sudanese UN staff were killed and three wounded when gunmen opened fire on a UN vehicle. Arua, Rwanda – July 10 – A Ugandan driver for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was killed by rebels. Bujumbura, Burundi – July 24 – An Italian World Food Programme (WFP) staff member was killed. 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 .

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

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

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

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. Gaza Strip 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. Baghdad, 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. Baghdad, Iraq – October 27 – An attack on the ICRC building killed at least 12 people. Ghazni, Afghanistan – November 16 – UNHCR staff person Bettina Goislard was shot dead by a motorcycle borne gunman while travelling by car. Kandahar, Afghanistan – 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.

Kabul, Afghanistan – February 26 – Five Afghans working for the Sanayee Development Foundation were killed when their vehicle was ambushed northeast of Kabul. Mosul, Iraq – March 15 – Larry Elliott, Jean Dover Elliott, Karen Denise Watson, and David McDonnall were killed in a drive by shooting. They were US missionaries for Southern Baptist International Mission Board. Kandahar , Afghanistan – April 28 – Two Afghan aid workers and a soldier were killed in an attack in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar Badghis Province, Afghanistan – June 2 – Five staff working for Médecins Sans Frontières were killed on the road between Khairkhana and Qala e Naw, 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. North Darfur, Sudan – October 10 – A Save the Children vehicle was hit by an anti tank landmine in the Um Barro area. 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).

Baghdad, Iraq – April 16 – Marla Ruzicka, founder of the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), and her Iraqi translator, Faiz Ali Salim, was killed by a suicide car bombing on Airport Road. 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.

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

Kabul, 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. Kandahar, Afghanistan – January 26 – An aid worker and her Afghan driver were kidnapped and presumed dead. Kismayo, 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 Chad May 1 The country director of Save the Children UK was shot dead when his car was attacked near Hadjer Hadid Colombo, Sri Lanka – May 16 – A Batticaloa based employee of the Norwegian Refugee Council was abducted while visiting the capital and disappeared, presumed dead. Arusha, Tanzania – June 30 – An Australian working with the nonprofit organisation foodwatershelter was killed during a robbery. Logar Province, Afghanistan – August 13 – Three female International Rescue Committee (IRC) workers and their local driver were killed in an ambush as they drove back to Kabul. One was an American national. Somali Region, Ethiopia September 22 A nurse and a doctor working for Medecins du Monde were kidnapped in Fadhigaradle village and taken across the border to Somalia. They were released 4 months later Merka, Somalia – October 17 – A senior programme assistant for the World Food Programme (WFP) was shot and killed as he left a mosque. Kabul, Afghanistan – October 20 – An aid worker with SERVE Afghanistan was killed as she walked to work. Gurilel, Somalia – October 25 – A local worker with the aid agency Iida was killed as she returned from work.

Yemen Several aid workers were kidnapped. Two Chechen aid workers were kidnapped and murdered. Bakool, Somalia April 19 Two MSF doctors were kidnapped and released 9 days later An Irish charity worker was killed during a mugging in Zanzibar, Tanzania. 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 Pakistan – 5 October 3 United Nations staff killed in a suicide bombing attack against the office of the World Food Programme in the capital city Islamabad. West Darfur, Sudan October 22 A French ICRC delegate was kidnapped and released after 5 months Afghanistan 28 October 5 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. Birao, Central African Republic November 22 Two French aid workers employed by Triangle Generation Humanitaire are kidnapped and held for 4 months before being freed in Darfur .

Gaza Strip 31 May 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. Abéché, Chad June 6 A logistician working for Oxfam GB was kidnapped. He was rescued 10 days later by security forces near the border with Sudan Afghanistan 7 August 10 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.

Nigeria 26 August 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. Syria 7 September 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. Somalia 23 December 2 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. Mogadishu, Somalia December 29 A doctor and a logistician working for MSF were shot to death in their compound Dadaab, Kenya: Two Spanish women who worked for Médecins sans Frontières were kidnapped by gunmen and released in July 2013.

Aleppo, Syria: A worker for Support to Life, Kayla Mueller, was kidnapped by ISIS and killed in 2015.

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. Syria: British aid worker David Cawthorne Haines was kidnapped near the Atmeh refugee camp in Idlib Province near the Turkish border. He was seized along with an Italian aid worker and two Syrians who were later freed. Ukraine: An ICRC worker was killed by a shell in Donetsk.

Afghanistan October 30 The Kunduz hospital airstrike by the United States military killed 42 Médecins Sans Frontières staff and patients.

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. Nigeria: A humanitarian convoy was attacked in Borno State and a UNICEF worker was injured. 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.

Nigeria January 17 6 aid workers were killed, 8 seriously wounded, and numerous civilians were killed following a government airstrike on a refugee camp in Rann, Borno State. Somalia October 14 6 aid workers were killed and 13 seriously wounded by a vehicle borne IED in Mogadishu.

Kabul, Afghanistan: United Nations Development Programme aid workers were attacked and one, Anil Raj, was killed. 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.

Kabul, Afghanistan: An attack by gunmen on the maternity ward of Dasht e Barchi hospital, run by MSF, resulted in the death of at least 24 people – including mothers, young children, and an MSF midwife. Niger: An attack resulted in the death of eight people, of which seven were staff working for the French NGO ACTED, and one their guide. Yemen: In an attack on Aden airport, at least three ICRC staff were killed and three more injured. Nigeria: Five aid workers of ACF were abducted and later executed in Borno state by Jihadists.

Ethiopia: Three MSF staff were killed in the Tigray region.

Gaza: Israeli forces kill five IFRC members, one Palestinian ambulance driver, and four Palestinian paramedics in Gaza in two separate instances. Gaza: Israeli forces killed 72 UNRWA personnel in Gaza between October 7 and November 2. 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."

Gaza: An Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers and their Palestinian driver after hitting their vehicle in the Gaza Strip on 2 April 2024.