UN groups condemn killing of midwife, call for release of abducted healthworkers

The international community has condemned the killing of Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa, an aid worker and midwife abducted in the north east.

They have also called for abductors to release a second midwife with the International Committee of the Red Cross and another health worker taken hostage in March.

“We are devastated by the murder of our colleague Saifura,” said Eloi Fillion, the head of the ICRC delegation in Abuja. ”

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, called the killing “a cowardly, heinous and despicable act.”

“Our deepest condolences go to her family, including her two young children, and friends. The United Nations calls on authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice and account. The United Nations also calls for the immediate release of the two aid workers who are still being held.”

“This incident demonstrates the severe challenges that Nigeria continues to face, but will not deter the international community from providing aid to millions of Nigerians caught up in the conflict in the north-east. The United Nations stands in solidarity with the humanitarian community,” added Kallon.

Saifura was 25 years old, and mother to two children, a two-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.

“The children have not been able to comprehend their mother’s absence, as they frequently asked their grandmother if a passing plane was bringing their mother home. That grandmother must now find the words to tell two children their mother will never return,” the ICRC said.

At the time of their abduction, Saifura, a second midwife Hauwa Mohammed Liman and Alice Loksha, a nurse working in a UNICEF-supported centre, were providing essential antenatal care to communities in Rann, whose population has more than doubled after an influx of people fleeing violence.

“We urge those still holding our colleague Hauwa and Alice: release these women. Like Saifura, they are not part of the fight. They are a midwife and a nurse. They are daughters, a wife, and a mother – women with families that depend on them,” said Fillion.

“Their families and friends miss them dearly and will not give up the hope of seeing them again soon. There is no ideology or religious law that could justify doing any harm to them.”

Since the women’s abduction six months ago, the ICRC has made sustained and committed efforts to secure the three health care workers’ release, and will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that Hauwa and Alice are released and can return to their families immediately.