Red Cross expresses shock at killing of aid workers in Mali

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is shocked and saddened by the deaths of two Red Cross aid workers in an attack by armed men in Mali, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. 

The aid workers, who were killed on Wednesday, were on their way back from a field visit to the Malian town of Kayes when their car was attacked, the organization said. Two of them sustained fatal injuries during this attack, while two other team members survived and have been deeply affected by this tragedy, it said.

The area where the aid workers drove was considered relatively safe. One of the slain employees was a staff member of the Netherlands Red Cross, the other was a staff member of the Malian Red Cross.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is deeply concerned about the worsening security situation in the Sahel region, ICRC said. This violence, and the specific targeting of humanitarian workers, makes it hard for Red Cross teams to provide the needed assistance to vulnerable communities in the region, the organization said, adding aid workers should never be a target of violent attacks.