On 23 March, Adam Khatir, a Sudanese aid worker with Fellowship of African Relief, was shot dead by gunmen at his home in Kongo Haraza, Sudan. According to Mark Simmons, FAR’s country director, “He was ambushed on Saturday by men who wanted his Thuraya satellite telephone. They came to his home on Monday evening to take the phone, but it wasn't there. The armed men then opened fire on him."

On 21 February two aid workers with Aide Médicale Internationale were killed when gunmen attacked a public bus near Nyala.

More:
FAR Saddened by Death of Staff Member in Darfur
Sudanese aid worker shot dead in Darfur

Tags: Death of aid worker, Sudan, Darfur, Incident

Update/Correction: Although Ahmed Hussein was previously a WFP contractor he was not working for WFP at the time of his death and had not done so for some time.

On 19 March, an aid worker with the UN's World Food Program (WFP) was killed in Mogadishu, Somalia according to a local radio station. Ahmed Hussein "Gesey" was shot in the head by unidentified gunmen while driving his vehicle in the Yaaqshiid district of Somalia’s capitol.

Ahmed Hussein is the third WFP staffer to be killed in Somalia this year. Ibrahim Hussein Duale was assassinated by gunmen near Garbahare on 6 January. On 8 January Mohamud Omar Moallim was shot by unidentified gunmen while distributing food to displaced people at Daynile, 6 miles north west of Mogadishu.

For other aid worker deaths this year see the Aid Worker Fatalities 2009 map.

Tags: Death of aid worker, Somalia, Incident

On 17 March, R. Sabesan, a volunteer aid worker and former caretaker for CARE International, was killed by artillery fire in the ‘no-fire’ zone of northern Sri Lanka.

On Tuesday afternoon shrapnel from artillery fire inside the government agreed ‘no-fire’ zone severed one of Sabesan’s legs. He later died from his injuries. The lack of appropriate medical facilities and the lack of medical evacuation options contributed to Sabesan’s senseless death.

According to CARE, Mr. Sabesan, 24, had been working for CARE as a caretaker in the Mulliativu District office since March 2005.

Mr. Sabesan is the second aid worker to be killed by artillery fire in Sri Lanka this month. Vadivel Vijayakumar, an ICRC staff member, was killed by artillery fire on the 4th.

Tags: Death of aid worker, Incident, Sri Lanka

Update - Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Muktar Robow Mansoor is claiming that all four kidnapped staff have been released and are “... with me with their luggage and we are going to hand over the U.N. officers soon. They are free now.”

On 16 March gunmen kidnapped four UN aid workers in Wajid, Somalia. The UN staffers were preparing to fly from Wajid airport when they were seized. The presence of armed escorts did not deter the kidnappers. No shots were fired.

The kidnapped staff included one Azerbaijani and one Ghanian, both with UNDP, one French staff member of WFP, and a Somali from the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).

Kidnappings of aid workers and journalists are common in Somalia. Although many victims are released unharmed after the payment of ransom the process can drag on for months. A Canadian journalist and an Australian photographer abducted last August are still being held. Four aid workers with Action Contre la Faim and two Kenyan pilots have been held since November.

Foreign aid workers travelling to Somalia should ensure their financial affairs are in order and their families understand their wishes in the event they are kidnapped.

Somalia: Unknown Gunmen Kidnap UN Aid Workers
hawiye gunmen kidnap UN aid workers

Tags: kidnapping, Somalia, Incident

On 12 March American Peace Corps volunteer Kate Puzey was found outside her home in Badjoude, Benin, where she worked as an English teacher. Although the Peace Corps has not yet commented on the cause of death there is some suspicion that she may have been murdered. The Peace Corps is waiting for local authorities to finish their investigations.

According to the Peace Corps, Ms. Puzey began her service in Benin on July 17, 2007. She was 24 years old and a native of Cumming, Georgia.

Tags: Death of aid worker, Benin, Incident

Angry mobs have killed at least three Red Cross volunteers and several police officers in Mozambique amidst fears that health staff were responsible for spreading Cholera. The attacks on Red Cross staff began when a rumour spread that the Red Cross and local authorities were infecting wells and fountains with cholera.

Red Cross staff were in fact treating wells with chlorine. Unfortunately local residents confused cloro, the Portuguese word for chlorine, with Cholera and the rumour that health staff were deliberately infecting the wells quickly spread.

On 25 February 2009 two Mozambique Red Cross staff were killed by an angry mob in Quinga while they were on a safe drinking water public education campaign.

Quinga

By 28 February the violence had spread to Angoche where a mob attacked a local health care center. The mob killed a police officer who had been sent along with four others to protect the centre’s aid workers.

Angoche

On the same day, further down the coast in Moma district, another mob seized a local community leader and attacked police sent to rescue him.

Moma

More: Red Cross Volunteers Killed By Mob In Mozambique As Cholera Situation Deteriorates
Mozambique: Policeman Killed in Cholera Riot
Mozambique mobs kill three Red Cross workers in cholera mix-up

Tags: Death of aid worker, Mozambique

Three international aid workers with Medecins Sans Frontieres Belgium were kidnapped on Wednesday from their offices in Darfur, Sudan according to an MSF statement. MSF identifies the trio as a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor and a French coordinator. Two Sudanese staff were also seized but were quickly released.

The kidnapping took place in Serif Umra in north Darfur, where MSF Belgium runs a health clinic and dispensary.

While MSF France and MSF Netherlands were among the thirteen aid groups expelled from Darfur last week MSF Belgium was not. The Swiss and Spanish branches of MSF also remain in Darfur.

More: International aid workers kidnapped in Darfur
Foreign Aid Workers Kidnapped In Darfur

Note: I’m on the road right now so can’t really give this incident the attention it deserves. Check out the sidebar for timely news and opinion on Darfur.

Update: The three kidnapped MSF staff have been identified as Laura Archer, Mauro D'Ascanio and Raphael Meonier.

Tags: Sudan, Darfur, kidnapping, Incident

The World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking applications for the position of Security Analyst P2 in the Security Division at its Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Closing date: 03 Apr 2009

Within delegated authority, the SECURITY ANALYST will be responsible for the following duties:

- Conducts research on identified topics related to threats and risks for WFP staff and operations
- Gathers, collates, analyzes security-related information to support decision-making at WFP.
- Provides analytical support to the Field on security-related matters.
- Prepares inputs for Weekly Security Updates, other security updates, analytical reviews, background notes on security-related topics and Country Security Profiles.
- Develops and updates the records/database on security incidents involving WFP staff, assets, contractors and partners engaged in support of WFP operations, in coordination with the OMF Security Officer (Information Management).
- Selects, classifies and provides security-related information for computerized databases and archives, including the OMF Database.
- Coordinates closely with the WFP FSOs, Security Focal Points (SFPs), OMF Senior Security Advisers (SSAs) on information gathering and collating, monitoring and evaluating the security situation/developments in areas of WFP operations; identifying indicators for increased threats and risks for WFP staff and operations; participating in the review of country-specific Security Risk Assessments.
- Coordinating closely with the Emergency Preparedness and Response Division (OMEP), including its Early Warning and Contingency Planning teams and Situation Room to enhance the WFP capabilities to monitor and assess the security-related developments and ensure preparedness for crisis situation and emergencies.
- Provide inputs for briefings to staff, donors and partners on security developments in specific countries/regions as appropriate.
- Assist in supporting the WFP Security Focal Point on matters related to guidance to staff on commercial passenger air travel risk management.
- Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications
Education and skills:
Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) preferably in political or social science, or international relations. Military, police or national intelligence background an asset. Excellent analytical and drafting skills. Proven ability to produce reports and papers on political and security issues, preferably in the international perspective; ability to communicate complex concepts orally and in writing. Knowledge of the UN context, preferably in the field of security management, peacekeeping or humanitarian operations.
Experience:
A minimum of 3 years of professional experience in political or security analysis at national and/or international levels, some of which must be as analyst or political officer. Experience in security management, peacekeeping operation, humanitarian work, military, police, national intelligence or international organization is required. Knowledge of practices and procedures of UN organizations.
Languages:
Fluency in written and spoken English and intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese or Portuguese) is essential.

How to apply
Go to: http://i-recruitment.wfp.org/vacancies/09-0009544

Tags: Jobs, Italy

Rumours and breaking news from Sudan:

* A mob burnt vehicles parked outside an INGO compound in Khartoum
* @robcrilly reports NGO staff held at gunpoint by national security in Nyala as they were trying to leave for airport.
* Delays for exit visas
* Some foreigners have had trouble trying to get laptops out of Sudan over the last couple of days. I recommend you sanitize your hard drive before trying to get it out of the country.

Rob Crilly is in Sudan at the moment. Follow him on Twitter (@robcrilly) for a journalists perspective of events.

Tags: Sudan, Darfur, Incident

TamilNet is reporting the death of an ICRC staff member in northern Sri Lanka on 4 March 2009. According to the report Mr. K. Vijayarasa, was killed in an artillery attack as he was returning home from assisting with the evacuation seriously injured patients from a local hospital.

Update: ICRC has issued a news release. They identify the deceased staff member as Vadivel Vijayakumar and point out that Vijaykumar’s nine year old son was injured in the same incident.

Note: TamilNet is exactly an unbiased source but their bias is overt and they are often the first to report issues affecting Tamils in northern Sri Lanka.

Tags: Death of aid worker, Sri Lanka

It is now the scientific consensus that our risk-avoidance mechanism is not mediated by the cognitive modules of our brain, but rather by the emotional ones. This may have made us fit for the Pleistocene era. Our risk machinery is designed to run away from tigers; it is not designed for the information-laden modern world. — Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Tags: risk