MOGADISHU (SD) – Fifteen aid workers were killed and twelve others sustained injuries in attacks against aid workers delivering humanitarian supplies in Somalia last year, UN report said.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 24 other aid workers were also abducted during this period.

“In a single tragic incident, seven healthcare workers were abducted and subsequently murdered. Several cases of the confiscation of humanitarian supplies, robbery and the harassment of humanitarian personnel were also reported,” OCHA said in its latest humanitarian report.

OCHA underscored that humanitarian access challenges were most frequently reported in the South West, Jubbaland, and Hirshabelle states, which combined made up some 53 percent of all access incidents reported in Somalia in 2020.

“This included illegal taxation, roadblocks, checkpoints imposed by al-Shabab and clan-related militias, ongoing hostilities among armed actors, military operations, and improvised explosive device attacks as well as the overall security situation, which was marked by unpredictability,” said OCHA.

The UN relief agency said violence against humanitarian personnel and facilities was one of the major access challenges alongside humanitarian workers’ ability to reach affected communities and support sustained programming.

Somali government did comment on the latest report on the aid workers operating in the horn of Africa nation.