A Sudanese humanitarian from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was killed on Friday April 21 in the fighting in Sudan, the UN agency announced.
The man was then in the car with his family.
"
It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the death of a dedicated IOM staff member in Sudan this morning, when the vehicle he was traveling in with his family south of El Obeid was caught in a exchange of fire between two warring parties
,” IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino said in a statement.
Peace must be restored.
Antonio Vitorino, Director General of the International Organization for Migration
The man, of Sudanese nationality, was 49 years old, then indicated a spokesman for the organization, adding that the vehicle in which he was was private.
“
I am deeply saddened by the death of our humanitarian colleague, and I join his wife and newborn baby, and our team in Sudan in mourning
,” he added.
Three World Food Program (WFP) staff were also killed last week in fighting that has raged in Sudan since mid-April between the regular army and paramilitaries.
"
The senseless deaths of civilians, including humanitarians, which claimed the lives of three WFP staff in North Darfur on Saturday, must end and peace must be restored," said
Antonio Vitorino.
Read alsoSudan: military rivalries plunge Khartoum into chaos
"Guaranteeing humanitarian security"
The outbreak of violence in Sudan has forced IOM (like other humanitarian organizations) to suspend its organizations in the country.
But the population, already very vulnerable, lacks everything.
"
The safety of all IOM staff is my top priority
," said the head of this specialized agency based in Geneva.
“
All parties must guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and allow them unrestricted access to help the most vulnerable
,” he insisted.
IOM, which cares for migrants but also provides assistance to internally displaced people, has been operating in Sudan since 2000. It estimates that before recent clashes there were 3.7 million displaced in inside the country.
Before the latest outbreak of violence, 15.8 million people in Sudan, a third of the population, needed humanitarian assistance.