HomeOn 23rd June 2016, lawyer Willie Kimani who used to work for the International Justice Mission had just come from court with his client Josephat Mwenda. He was pursuing a case on behalf of Mr Mwenda against an administration police Fredrick Leliman.
Leliman had shot Mwenda in the arm when he had arrested him. Mwenda had sought the help of Willie Kimani to pursue a case against Leliman with the help of Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
That fateful day, Willie and Mwenda left court after a hearing in Kimani’s car. As they were travelling home they were accosted by a group of policemen. These policemen stopped them and arrested them and placed them under custody at Syokimau Police Post. Willie, Mwenda and Joseph Muiruri, a taxi driver, were murdered that night. Their bodies were found days later dumped at the Ol Donyo Sabuk river.
Six years later, their case drags on nearing completion.
Willie’s story is just one in thousands of other heroes who have lost their lives fighting for the less fortunate and championing social justice. A report by Aid Workers Security revealed that 2020 was by far the most dangerous year for aid workers.
There were 484 aid worker victims globally that year as compared to 2019’s 481. Out of the 484 victims, 117 were killed. DRC (20), Syria (44), Central African Republic (17), Mali (17) and South Sudan(61) are some of the places where most attacks against aid workers happened.
2020 was the year COVID-19 wreaked havoc in the world. This occasioned lockdown measures and restriction of movement. However, despite those restrictions incidences of attacks remained higher.
In 2021, Ethiopia joined the list of dangerous countries for aid workers. Reports surfaced of 3 Medecins Sans Frontiers workers who were killed in Tigray as they were travelling to give aid to victims of the war.
There is no doubt that when there is political conflict and war, aid workers lose their lives the most. That’s why NGOs should tighten their security policies and ensure that their workers are safe and protected when they go to the field.
“Historically, the most dangerous operational settings for aid workers have been places where armed conflict is occurring. Most of the aid worker casualties (fatalities, serious injuries and abductions) result from attacks by non-state armed actors engaged in asymmetric conflict and advancing some sort of political, strategic or ideological objectives,” states the report.
The report says that humanitarian agencies use a three-pronged approach to security. This measure to mitigate risk is referred to as the triangle concept in operational security. The triangle refers to deterrence, protection and acceptance.
- Deterrence– posing a counterthreat to would-be perpetrators in the form of armed guards or military escorts.
- Protection– they can reduce their vulnerability to attack by implementing things
like convoy procedures, high walls, window bars, blast setbacks and armoured vehicles. - Acceptance– attempts to neutralise the threat by gaining the goodwill of the local community and tolerance of armed actors that may otherwise cause
them harm.
There are other strategies that the report recommends that could also help NGOs upgrade their security.
Dialogue and Negotiation– You need to recognize your own biases against criminal groups. Understand their interests, incentives and local ties. Sometimes the criminal groups are presented as hedonistic which is not the full picture of why they were formed. Probably the groups were formed because of marginalization. Take time to understand their rituals, values, culture or beliefs.
This will help you negotiate with these groups.
Customized programs to the specific target group– “One NGO implemented an education programme aiming to provide children and young people with an alternative to being recruited into gangs or other criminal groups. A few projects outside of the humanitarian community implemented cultural programmes, which in some cases were beneficial because they facilitated cultural interactions between gangs and the local community,” records the report.
Analyse the community you’re in and give customized programs that will help them and make a notable, significant impact.
