GENEVA, Aug. 19– Violence against humanitarian workers reached another grim record in 2025, with 907 killed, injured or kidnapped worldwide, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday.
In 2025, a total of 350 aid workers were killed worldwide, including 186 in the Gaza Strip and 71 in Sudan, the deadliest contexts for humanitarian workers for a third consecutive year. So far in 2026, 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 injured and 39 kidnapped worldwide, the data showed.
The proliferation of cheap and adaptable armed drones is adding to the risks faced by civilians and humanitarian personnel.
“Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life,” said Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
“More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable,” Fletcher said, calling on states to uphold international humanitarian law and protect civilians and humanitarian personnel.
The UN’s World Humanitarian Day campaign this year, under the theme “Act for Humanity,” is highlighting aid workers killed in conflicts and the impact of their deaths on their families. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
