Central African Republic: ICRC staff member killed
08-03-2014 News Release
Geneva / Bangui (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is profoundly shocked by the killing today of one of its staff members in northern Central African Republic.
The killing occurred in connection with violence in Ndele. Armed men entered the Catholic mission there, where four ICRC staff were quartered, and killed one of them. The other three are safe.
“We are outraged by this killing,” said Georgios Georgantas, head of the ICRC delegation in the country. “It is utterly unacceptable. We urgently call on all those bearing arms to respect and spare people working for the ICRC or for the broader International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and indeed all those who carry out humanitarian work.
The ICRC also appeals to all parties to the conflict to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law so that those striving to help the civilian population can do their life-saving work.
This killing comes at a time when the security situation in the Central African Republic is worsening. The widespread violence and rampant crime accompanying it are exacerbating the already disastrous situation in which hundreds of thousands of the country’s citizens are living.
For more information, please contact:
Nadia Dibsy, ICRC Bangui, tel: +236 75 64 30 07
Jean-Yves Clémenzo, CICR Genève, tel: +41 79 217 32 17