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The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition identified 2562 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in conflicts in 2023, a 25% increase from 2022. Over 230 health workers were kidnapped in 2023, almost all of them in conflicts across Africa, except in Haiti, where gang violence caused insecurity. Heath workers were kidnapped from health facilities, while traveling to or from work or to remote areas to provide health care services, and from their homes. Most kidnapped health workers were released within days or weeks of being kidnapped, sometimes after ransom demands were made, suggesting that health workers were targeted for their perceived wealth. In other cases, kidnappings occurred at the same time as health facilities were looted. Eight kidnapped health workers were killed by their captors. In some countries, among them Cameroon and the DRC, non-state armed groups abducted health workers accused of collaborating with other conflict parties, including for treating a wounded fighter, or based on allegations of failing to communicate their activities in the area. Across the Sahel, non-state armed groups, including ISSP, ISWAP, and JNIM, kidnapped health workers. In the DRC, armed groups like the ADF, PAREFOL/FI, and M23 were responsible for kidnappings, while AlShabaab in Somalia also kidnapped health workers. In Nigeria, most kidnappings were attributed to unidentified men with guns, while in Haiti various gangs kidnapped health workers.
Explore this interactive map to see where incidents happened. Access the data on HDX. Please get in touch if you are interested in curated datasets.