2023 'deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers' according to the UN

  • 2 weeks ago

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Transcript
00:00Now, for World Humanitarian Day on Monday, the United Nations released its annual stats
00:05for the number of humanitarian workers killed on the job.
00:08And 2023 has broken all records, 280 having lost their lives worldwide.
00:15Most of them, 163, were killed in Gaza.
00:18But the nations of South Sudan and Sudan also appear on this grim podium.
00:24Our original correspondent Bastien Renuit reports from Kenya.
00:29Five of the 10 most dangerous countries for humanitarians are in Africa.
00:32And on the continent, South Sudan is the most dangerous country.
00:35It's ranked second globally.
00:38In 2023, 34 humanitarian workers were killed.
00:42Most of them were South Sudanese, and most of them were directly targeted.
00:46Let's take the example of what happened on the 23rd of September 2023.
00:51Three trucks were coming back to Juba after delivering assistance to children.
00:55They were attacked.
00:56Two of the three truck drivers were killed.
00:58The remaining one was severely injured.
01:01And the trucks were burnt without any reason.
01:04And that's directly impacting the population.
01:06Nine million people, three quarters of the population, need assistance at the moment
01:10in South Sudan.
01:11Let's also mention Sudan.
01:14It's ranked third globally.
01:16In 2023, 25 people were killed, most of them after the beginning of the war in April.
01:22And in Sudan, they are also directly targeted.
01:25Dozens of warehouses belonging to NGOs were looted.
01:29Hundreds of cars belonging to international organizations were stolen.
01:33And that's really preventing the delivery of aid.
01:36According to Joyce Msouya, she is the United Nations acting undersecretary for humanitarian
01:42affairs.
01:43She says that the normalizations of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability
01:49are unacceptable and unconscionable.
01:52And she has a good reason to be worried.
01:532024 could be worse than 2023.
01:57So far, at least 172 aid workers have been killed globally.

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