Aid Worker Fatalities in 2009

Published April 09, 2009 @ 09:55AM PT

This is a regularly updated list of aid worker fatalities in 2009. So far this year, 98 aid workers have been killed:

- Eighteen aid workers have been killed in Afghanistan - fifteen as reported by the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office report covering the period of July 16th - 30th, 2009, and then two UN staff killed on August 18th, and an aid worker with the ICRC on August 25th.

-Eighteen aid workers have been killed in Pakistan, including two in February, five in April (stories here and here), five in June, one in July and five in October.

- Ten aid workers (including UN contractors) have been killed in Gaza since December 27th, as have thirteen medical personnel. The aid worker fatalities include five UNRWA staff, three UNRWA contractors, one WFP contractor and one aid worker with CARE.

- Ten aid workers have been killed in Somalia, including two in January, two in April, one in July and five in August. (In addition, a former WFP contractor was also killed in March, and a former CARE staff member was killed in April.)

- Ten aid workers have been killed in Darfur, including 7 national humanitarian staff and 3 UNAMID staff.

- As many as nine aid workers (including family members) were killed in Yemen in June. (Still difficult to get accurate figures.)

- At least seven aid workers have been killed in Sri Lanka, including two in February, two in March, one in April and two in May. The actual number is probably higher.

- Four aid workers have been killed in the Central African Republic, one in June and three in September.

- Three aid workers have been killed in Mozambique

- Two aid workers have been killed in Chechnya

- One aid worker has been killed in Bangladesh

- One aid worker has been killed in Benin

- One aid worker has been killed in DR Congo

- One aid worker has been killed in Honduras

- One aid worker has been killed in Iraq (at least)

- One aid worker has been killed in Mauritania

- One aid worker has been killed in Zanzibar

Updated as of October 6th, 2009. This is by no means a comprehensive list.

[Police investigating an attack against an aid worker in Pakistan - Photo from AP / New York Times]

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Author

Michael has worked for NGOs in Afghanistan, across east and central Africa, and Iraq. Prior to going overseas, he worked on a project providing assistance to the United Nations on the application of International Humanitarian Law to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.