Aid Workers Killed or Abducted Around the World in 2009

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The following is a list of aid workers killed or abducted from around the world in 2009. They are listed by the country where the incident occurred. Updated- December 14, 2009.  The most recent incidents added are marked with a *.

(UN Photo/UNHCR)

Afghanistan
Two aid workers killed in Feb.
Two aid workers killed in April
16 aid workers from the Mine Detection and Dog Center were abducted and freed in July
2 aid workers from HealthNet TPO were abudcted in July
Two Afghan staff with UNAMA were killed on Aug. 18.
Abdul Wadood of ICRC was killed in August.
Gayle Williams of SERVE was killed on Oct. 20*

Bangladesh
A female NGO staff member with the Boalmari office of Social Development Committee was killed on July 12.

Benin
Kate Puzey of the Peace Corps was killed in March

Chad
More than 50 Attacks This Year on Eastern Chad Aid Workers

Chechnya
Natalia Estemirova of Memorial Human Rights Center was killed on July 15.
Zarema Sadulayeva, the head of a Russian NGO called Save the Generation, and her husband were found dead on Aug. 11.

Congo (DRC)
Ricky Agusa Sukata, an aind worker with Caritas, was killed in July
 
Darfur, Sudan
Four aid workers from Medecins Sans Frontieres were abducted on March 11; released on March 1
Two aid workers from Aide Medicale Internationale were killed in Feb.
Adam Khatir of Fellowship for African Relief was killed in March
Two aid workers from GOAL abducted in July (Released)
British aid worker injured in July
French aid worker from ICRC abducted on Oct. 22*

Gaza
Five UNRWA staff, three UNRWA contractors, and one WFP contractor have been killed since Dec. 27th

Honduras
Dallas Martens of the Morgan Jayne Project was killed in September.*

Iraq
Marla Ruzicka of Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict killed in April
Ra'aed Mohammed Saeed of Human Relief Foundation’s was shot on Sept. 1


Kenya
Two human rights activists from the Oscar Foundation were killed in March

Mali
French aid worker kidnapped in late November*

Mauritania
Christopher Ervin Leggett, an American aid worker, was killed on June 23
Albert Vilalta, Alicia Gámez and Roque Pascual of Barcelona-Acció Solidària kidnapped on Nov. 29.
Gamez freed in March 2010

Mozambique
Three Red Cross volunteers were killed in March


Pakistan
Riaz Ahmad (24) and Nasar Ali of Medecins Sans Frontieres were killed in Feb.
Four Rise International aid workers killed in April
John Solecki, the head of the U.N.'s High Commission was kidnapped in Feb. and later released in April
Zelle Usman, a field officer for the UN high Commissioner for Refugees, was killed in July
Thanassis Lerounis kidnapped in early November
Five workers were killed at the UN's World Food Program office in Pakistan in October.

Philippines
Three Red Cross aid workers were abducted in Jan.
Nestor Bulahan of UNICEF was killed in late November*

Somalia
Four aid workers for the UN were abducted and released on March 16
Two aid workers for the UN were killed in Jan.
Two aid workers from Medecins Sans Frontieres were abducted on April 19
Omar Sharif of Care International was killed on April 20
At least 16 aid workers remain in captivity in Somalia, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
3 foreign aid workers abducted in July


Sri Lanka
R. Sabesan of CARE was killed on March 17
Vadivel Vijayakumar of CARE was killed on March 4
Two aid workers  from Swiss Foundation for Mine Action were found dead in Feb.
A volunteer doctor and a Red Cross worker, Mayurna Sivagurunathan, were killed on May 13

Yemen
Three female aid workers from Dutch World Wide Services Foundation were killed in June
Nine aid workers killed in June

Zanzibar
A volunteer aid worker with Camara was killed in Aug.