Kenya confirms 4 nationals among aid workers killed in S. Sudan
Xinhua, March 28, 2017 Adjust font size:
Four Kenyans are among six aid workers who were killed when their convoy was ambushed last Saturday in South Sudan, Kenya's foreign minister said Tuesday.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the four Kenyans were working for GREDO, a local NGO funded by UNICEF to build youth centers in Pibor.
"Efforts are currently underway by South Sudan security agents in conjunction with officials from GREDO and UNICEF to recover the bodies of the victims," Mohamed said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
She said the ministry is actively engaging all stakeholders to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to this tragedy.
The attack, the single worst incident targeting aid workers in South Sudan since the outbreak of hostilities in December 2013, came at a time when humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels in the African country.
According to the UN, at least 79 aid workers have been killed in South Sudan since the beginning of the December 2013 crisis, including at least 12 killed in 2017, and at least eight humanitarian convoys have been attacked already this year.
Under International Humanitarian Law, intentional attacks against humanitarian relief personnel may constitute war crimes. Endit