PORTLAND, Ore. A staff member at an Oregon health care nonprofit was killed when staff he was traveling with in a convoy came under fire in Ethiopia, authorities said Monday.
Mustefa Alkisim was a driver for Medical Teams International traveling in Ethiopia’s unsafe Amhara region on Friday when men shot at the group, the organization’s spokeswoman Karen Kartes Piatt said in an email. Alkisim was killed and other employees were injured, she said.
“As we mourn the loss of our colleague, we honor his memory and dedication to his work,” read a post on the organization’s Facebook page.
At this time, the religious organization said it does not believe the shooting was an intentional, targeted attack on employees or the organization, which was founded in 1979 and provides medical care to people in crisis, such as survivors of natural disasters and refugees.
“We are closely analyzing and addressing the circumstances surrounding this tragic loss and determining next steps as an organization,” said a press release from the organization.
Medical Teams adhere to the humanitarian principle of neutrality, never taking sides in conflicts, according to the press release.
“However, increasingly, armed actors do not comply with international humanitarian law, outlined in the Geneva Conventions, which requires them to take measures to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers,” the press release states.
Last year, 260 aid workers around the world were killed, a 120% increase from the previous year, the nonprofit said, adding that this “disturbing” trend will continue into 2024.
The Medical Teams began providing medical services in Ethiopia in April 2021 and currently serve refugees, internally displaced people and conflict-affected communities in five regions of the country.
Federal forces in Ethiopia are engaging in fighting with various rebel groups in their regions, as well as ethnic insurgencies, which have led to the deaths and displacement of people. The rebel groups are based in Amhara.
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