The aid workers who died came from Myanmar. “They were on the way back to their office after providing assistance in a nearby community,” Inger Ashing, director of Save the Children, told NOS.
They were arrested on the way. The army forced people out of their cars, arrested some, killed many and burned the bodies. “As an organization, we are deeply mourned by this terrible news,” Ashing said. “It’s a very difficult time for the organization.”
Determined to stay
Ashing calls the attack a violation of international humanitarian law. She wants the UN Security Council to meet as soon as possible to hold the perpetrators to account and calls for an arms embargo and limiting of airstrikes such as those that have taken place in Myanmar in recent days.
Save the Children tries to help the families of the victims, who are still in Myanmar, as best as possible, as well as the other staff members.
The aid organization has 900 employees in Myanmar and has been providing support to children in the fields of health, nutrition, education and child protection since 1995.
Rising violence in the country makes it increasingly difficult to provide aid, but “we are determined to stay in the country,” Ashing said. However, Save the Children has temporarily suspended activities in some regions, such as Kayah State.
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