CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) Two staffers of UK non-profit charitable organization Oxfam have been killed in an attack by unidentified armed people in the south of Syria, Oxfam said on Wednesday, condemning the incident.
"Two Oxfam aid workers were today killed in an attack at 2pm local time [12:00 GMT] in Dar'a governorate in Southern Syria, between Nawa and Al-Yadudah. Wissam Hazim, Southern Hub Staff Safety Officer and Adel Al-Halabi, a driver, were both killed when their vehicle was attacked by a so-far unidentified armed group. An Oxfam volunteer was also injured," Oxfam said in a press release.
The organization condemned the attack and called on all the involved parties to ensure "ensure the safety of staff delivering lifesaving aid to civilians caught in the conflict."
"Our love and thoughts are with their families. We condemn the attack in the strongest possible terms. It is essential that aid workers are able to get lifesaving assistance to civilians without being attacked themselves," Moutaz Adham, Oxfam's director for Syria, said, as quoted in the press release.
Syrian state broadcaster Ikhbariya reported, citing a source in Daraa hospital, that the incident had occurred in the village of Yadudah, located in the west of the province. The Oxfam employees were heading to the city of Nawa for inspecting local schools.
Both killed persons used to work for Oxfam since 2017. Both of them were Syrian nationals, Oxfam added.
Oxfam coordinates its activities in Syria with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Oxfam said in the press release it had provided assistance to over 1.2 million people in Syria in 2019 alone.
Oxfam was founded in 1942. As of now, it is an international body uniting 17 organizations that operate in over 90 countries across the globe. While Oxfam was initially meant to provide food to relieve famine, it now has extensive programs addressing poverty and related injustice.
