An ICRC aid worker killed in an attack in northern Mali

Geneva – An employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed Monday in an attack against a convoy near Gao, in northern Mali, the organization said Monday.

“The attack targeted an ICRC truck in the morning, killing one employee and wounding a member of the Mali Red Cross,” said a statement from the International Committee with headquarters in Geneva.

“We condemn in the strongest terms this attack and calls on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect humanitarian workers,” said humanitarian institution.

The ICRC’s head of operations in North and West Africa, Praz Dessimoz said he was “very shocked to learn of the death of our colleague,” Gao party at the wheel of the truck to Niamey, in neighboring Niger .

A member of the Mali Red Cross was injured in the attack against the convoy delivered, but his days are not in danger, the statement said, without providing further details on the incident.

According to the same source, “the circumstances of the attack are unclear at present, but the truck was well marked with the ICRC emblem.”

In the opinion of Praz Dessimoz, “the humanitarian situation in northern Mali is worrying” especially as the increasing violence against humanitarian workers prevents them from coming to the aid of people and poor communities.

The organization in this context urged all parties involved in the conflict “to protect civilians and allow humanitarian do their job.”

Northern Mali has been tested for several months in 2012 by jihadist groups that have been driven in large part by an international military operation in early 2013. However, the region remains plagued by instability due to the increase in terrorist attacks and clashes between rival armed groups.