Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the toughest places for aid workers, who not only struggle to reach vulnerable people due to conflict, but are also killed for being seen to help opposing groups, the head of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.
The Geneva-headquartered agency has more than 30,000 staff working mainly as doctors, nurses, surgeons and psychiatrists in around 70 countries where the impact of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or poor healthcare has left a dire need for assistance.
Unni Karunakara, MSF's international president, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation he believed the challenges faced by humanitarians, particularly health workers, were on the rise.
"The perception we have is that the challenges for aid workers are increasing. A lot of incidents happen in health facilities and centres and are targeted against vehicles such as ambulances," Karunakara said in an interview.
The full article continues at http://www.trust.org/item/20130513155118-juf5p on the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s website.