Violence Against Aid Workers Surged in 2006
January 4, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Violence against aid workers reached its highest level in a decade last year, according to a recent study by New York University’s Center on International Cooperation and Britain’s Overseas Development Institute, reports AlertNet, a news Web site operated by the Reuters Foundation. The two groups have measured violence directed at relief efforts since 1997.
According to the study, there were 90 major violent incidents against aid workers in 2006, compared with 72 in 2005 and 66 in 2004.
Last year 83 aid workers were killed—the highest number since 2003—78 were wounded, and 52 were kidnapped. Afghanistan had the greatest number of aid-worker deaths (at 26), followed by Sri Lanka (with 23 deaths), and Sudan (with 15 deaths).
Sudan accounted for over 40 percent of major attacks in 2006.
