The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ha revealed why it didn’t pay for the release of the 24-year-old midwife, Hauwa Mohammed Liman, who was, recently, killed by the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) faction of Boko Haram.
Liman was kidnapped in Borno State while working in a hospital supported by the Geneva-based aid agency.
The organization said it decided not to pay a ransom as it would set a dangerous precedent for the 16,000 aid workers it deploys worldwide, Patricia Danzi, ICRC regional director for Africa, told Reuters.
“We are a humanitarian organization so we cannot enter into such kind of negotiations. So we always ask for unconditional release. And that’s what we did. That was the plea,” she said.
The agency had issued a public appeal to her captors at the weekend to spare her life after a threat was received, but they still went ahead to kill her.