The UN said on Thursday that 62 humanitarian aid workers have been killed so far in 2023. The organization made the announcement on the 20th anniversary of the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which led to the death of 22 individuals, including former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello.
In addition, the UN stated that South Sudan, where 40 attacks and 22 fatalities have been reported since August 16, is the most dangerous place to work for humanitarians. Meanwhile, Sudan was deemed the second most dangerous place to be a humanitarian as 17 attacks and 19 fatalities occurred in the country.
In 2022, 444 aid workers around the world were attacked, whereas in 2021, more than 460 aid workers were attacked and more than 140 of them were killed. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that the attacks are “a deliberate violation of international law. We need it to stop. We need better duty of care. And we need accountability.”
The UN’s Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths said “Every year, nearly six times more aid workers are killed in the line of duty than were killed on that dark day in Baghdad, and they are overwhelmingly local aid workers. Impunity for these crimes is a scar on our collective conscience.”
In the UN’s World Humanitarian Day statement this year, the organization displayed its support for humanitarian work and commended humanitarians in writing:
We come together to honour humanitarians around the world who strive to meet ever-growing global needs. No matter the danger or the hardship, humanitarians venture deep into disaster-stricken regions and on the front lines of conflict, strive to save and protect people in need.
Previously on March 20, the UN called on the South Sudan government to improve security and hold perpetrators accountable after more than 100 trucks in the process of transporting food and assistance mechanisms were ambushed in Jonglei, South Sudan. A driver passed away from being shot and another individual died in an associated road accident.
The UN thereafter said that there have been a series of incidents targeting aid workers and convoys in South Sudan. Meshack Malo, interim UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, said that:
While humanitarians continue to work tirelessly to provide the much-needed vital support, the continuation of violent attacks inadvertently hampers their efforts … We call on the authorities to take urgent action to improve security, to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and commodities, and bring perpetrators to justice.
