Head of ICRC Detention Program Killed in Taiz

The shattered rear window of the Red Cross vehicle that was carrying Red Cross employee Hanna Lahoud, parked outside a hospital in the country's third-city of Taiz. Ahmad Al Basha / AFP

An employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been shot and killed in the Yemeni city of Taiz, the aid group said on Saturday.

The organization confirmed Hanna Lahoud’s death in Yemen in a tweet. It said in a statement that unknown gunmen attacked his vehicle as the Lebanese national traveled to a prison in the Adhabab area on the outskirts of Taiz.

It is still unknown who killed Lahoud in an area besieged by Houthi fighters for the past three years.

In a statement issued on Twitter, ICRC said Lahoud was in charge of the organization’s detention program in Yemen.

“Unidentified gunmen attacked Lahoud’s vehicle as the Lebanese national traveled to a prison in the southwestern Yemeni city,” it said.

Lahoud was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries. The colleagues he was traveling with were unharmed. The ICRC said it is still investigating the circumstances of the attack.

ICRC's Middle East Director, Robert Mardini condemned the “brutal and apparently deliberate attack on a dedicated humanitarian worker.”

He said: “We are all in shock. Hanna was a young man full of life and was widely known and liked. Nothing can justify Hanna's murder and we are in deep mourning for our dear friend and colleague."

Lahoud had been working for the ICRC since 2010 in different field positions and at headquarters, including in Geneva.

Before working at the ICRC, he had been a first aid volunteer and staff member with the Lebanese Red Cross for many years.

Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber, who is also Executive Director of Isnad Center for comprehensive humanitarian operation, condemned the killing of Lahoud.

In a tweed, the Ambassador expressed his appreciation for the humanitarian efforts exerted by the ICRC, particularly in brotherly Yemen.

The Human Rights Information and Training Center (HRITC), a non-governmental center based in the city of Taiz, described Lahoud’s killing as a “crime,” calling on the official authorities in Taiz to track down the criminals behind this incident and bring them to justice.