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Red Cross says two employees killed in Mali

02 June 2022 20:42 (UTC +04:00)

Two Red Cross employees were killed Wednesday after their vehicle was attacked in the Kayes region in western Mali, the Malian Red Cross said in a statement, APA reports citing “France Presse (AFP)."

A driver and a worker from the Netherlands Red Cross died after armed men attacked their vehicle, which carried the Malian Red Cross emblem, the statement said, citing eyewitnesses.

"The Malian Red Cross condemns in the strongest terms this incident, which undermines the humanitarian mission to vulnerable populations," it said.

Witnesses said armed men on motorcycles opened fire on the vehicle. Two other Red Cross employees were also inside.

Nouhoum Maiga, secretary general of the Malian Red Cross, told AFP the men were likely robbers rather than jihadists.

"It is not the Red Cross as such that was targeted," he said, adding that the organisation has previously experienced robberies and carjackings, but no recent killings.

He said the attackers took the vehicle and equipment, before later abandoning the vehicle.