UN refugee agency deplores murder of aid worker in eastern Chad

The United Nations refugee agency today voiced its sadness at the killing of a senior aid worker in eastern Chad and warned that humanitarian staff operating in the region must endure an increasingly insecure environment in which to carry out their work.

Pascal Marlinge, the Country Director for the non-governmental organization (NGO) Save The Children, was shot yesterday by bandits while travelling in a three-vehicle convoy on the road between the towns of Farchana and Adre.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told reporters today in Geneva that “this shocking incident underscores the highly insecure environment that humanitarian workers face in delivering protection and assistance” in eastern Chad.

More than 240,000 refugees from the neighbouring Darfur region of Sudan and 180,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in 12 camps across eastern Chad run by UNHCR.

This week’s attack was the second targeting an aid worker in Chad in less than a year. A driver for UNHCR was shot and killed by gunmen late last year.