Aid Workers Increasingly Targeted by Extremist Groups

While humanitarian aid workers and non-governmental organization (NGO) employees have long been targeted by jihadists, the number of attacks on aid workers has increased precipitously in recent years. This increase is particularly noticeable in Africa, which saw 72% of the global violence targeting aid workers from January 2019 to July 2020. Due to the widespread presence of Western aid workers in the region, the number of terror groups operating across multiple countries, and the ease of cross-border movement across West Africa, aid workers are increasingly targeted in security incidents in the Sahel. Data from the Aid Workers Security Database shows that there are notable spikes in the number of aid workers targeted in major attacks in 2013, 2018, and 2019. In particular, 2019 represented the highest number of major attacks against aid workers in the past decade. These spikes align with the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in 2013, as well as the shift in strategy to outlying regions that ISIS pursued after losing ground in Iraq and Syria in 2018 and 2019. Despite diminished numbers of aid workers in the region due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has seen a number of incidents where terror groups targeted aid workers in West Africa. This disturbing trend of Western aid workers being targeted by jihadist groups in the Sahel could worsen if the U.S. withdraws forces from West Africa, as it was considering earlier this year. 

Why Aid Workers?

In addition to the perception that aid workers are allies of the West, a number of other factors make aid workers targets of extremist violence. The regions in which they operate tend to be remote, particularly in the Sahel, making it easier for terror groups to conduct surveillance and to move in and out of the area quickly. In remote areas, local law enforcement is often lax, and security service capacity is often lower than in more populated areas. While most aid workers and NGOs are accustomed to operating in remote regions, the lack of support from host nation security and law enforcement organizations in the Sahel increases the level of risk they face.

The vulnerabilities that aid workers face in the course of their work, such as remote locations and frequent movement between sites, makes them naturally attractive targets for jihadist groups, even with the best security and duty of care practices in place. When compared to other potential targets—such as military bases or embassies—the offices of aid workers are often soft targets. While military and diplomatic facilities often have around-the-clock, professionally trained security, the offices of humanitarian organizations and NGOs, refugee camps, and project sites may not have as stringent security measures in place. This is why, compared to other private sector industries, NGOs may be easier for jihadists to target. Most international business in the Sahel is located in major cities, where security forces have a higher presence. Additionally, project sites present unique challenges when compared to an office building. Unlike an office, project sites may cover several acres of land, be deeply enmeshed with local communities, and lack the presence of dedicated security guards. Due to this difference, jihadist groups may perceive aid workers’ sites as more accessible victims. The frequent use of convoys by aid workers to travel between project sites also makes them susceptible to illegitimate checkpoints, IEDs on roadways, and ambushes. 

Aid Workers in the Sahel Regularly Targeted by Jihadist Groups

The Sahel region is increasingly saturated with jihadist groups associated with ISIS or Al Qaeda. Messaging in al-Naba, the weekly newsletter published by the ISIS Central Media Office, explicitly stated that "all people who work in those [humanitarian aid] organizations" are legitimate targets, as they were considered to be at war with ISIS. This messaging by al-Naba came in the wake of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) executing five men who were associated with the NGOs Action Against Hunger and the International Rescue Committee. ISIS more recently claimed the killing of six French aid workers and their local guides in a popular nature reserve outside of Niamey, Niger in a premeditated strike against Westerners. This attack on French aid workers comes after a summer of multiple attacks on aid workers and increased violence across the Sahel, including in Niger, Nigeria, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

ISIS painting aid workers as legitimate targets for terror groups may further increase the risk that humanitarian workers face. With jihadist groups already working to control swaths of territory across West Africa, this messaging could embolden the groups to execute more frequent attacks against aid workers. Maps of terror attacks in the region already show significant jihadist activity from both ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliate groups across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, as well as a strong presence of ISIS affiliates in the Niger-Nigeria cross-border region. Porous, unsecured borders in this region allow terror groups to conduct attacks and then retreat across borders, evading local security forces. This issue of cross border attacks significantly impacted aid workers in the Niger-Nigeria region, as interstate  attacks make it more difficult to identify and track terror groups.

United States Must Continue Counterterrorism Efforts for Security of Aid Organizations

In addition to condemning the messaging from al-Naba that legitimized the targeting of aid workers, the United States and partner forces should re-evaluate their efforts to combat jihadist groups in the Sahel in order to provide more security for Western aid workers. The Department of Defense and AFRICOM have significant forces present to train and advise regional forces on counterterrorism. While the Pentagon considered drawing down troops in West Africa at the end of last year, removing U.S. forces from West Africa shifts the burden of combatting the spread of terrorism in the Sahel onto America’s regional allies. In particular, drawing forces away from the region may put additional strain on French forces in the region and create tension with France, one of the United States’ closest and oldest allies. France has previously urged the United States to remain in Africa to combat the spread of terrorism. 

A military drawdown in Africa could also irrevocably harm the ability of local security forces to combat terrorism, as the United States partners with security forces in both Niger and Nigeria in order to increase their capacity to conduct counterterrorism operations. A drawdown of United States military forces would certainly have a negative impact on Western aid workers in the region at a time when they are being directly targeted by terror groups. In addition to allowing jihad groups to expand their reach and straining our allies in the region, a withdrawal could be perceived as the United States becoming complacent about the targeting of Westerners and of aid workers in the Sahel.