Syria Relief can sadly confirm that Ibrahim Saddo, a manager for a Syria Relief Primary Healthcare Centre, was killed in an airstrike on the way to the facility in Maret al-Nasan he worked in yesterday morning (Tuesday 18th February 2020). The Primary Healthcare Centre itself had been destroyed by an airstrike on Monday February 10th and Mr Saddo, a Syrian, was on his way to the facility to retrieve materials which had not been destroyed.
Syria Relief's Chief Executive, Othman Moqbel, says:
"It is with great sadness that we must confirm that a member of the Syria Relief team, Ibrahim Saddo, was killed in an airstrike whilst walking to the Primary Healthcare Centre that he managed in Maret al-Nasan, Idlib, which was itself destroyed by an airstrike the previous week. At the time of the strike, he was on his way to salvage materials that were not destroyed, when he was hit by a subsequent airstrike, killing him.
"Ibrahim was a dedicated humanitarian, who managed a healthcare facility. His only concern was helping people stay alive. Yet in his effort to save others, he himself was killed. Despite the growing danger to our staff, Syria Relief are determined to continue Ibrahim's legacy of saving lives and helping Syrians who have had their lives destroyed by this conflict.
"Throughout this conflict, blatant disregard has been shown to the lives of aid workers, like Ibrahim, and for civilian infrastructure, like the healthcare centre he operated. Since the Idlib campaign started, six of Syria Relief's schools and four of the healthcare facilities that we have worked in have been targeted. We are once again calling on all actors in the conflict to cease immediately in the targeting of civilian life and to ensure that NGOs can deliver our work without fear of being killed."
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR
Syria Relief are based in Denton, Greater Manchester and are the largest Syria-focused based NGO in the UK. Last year alone, Syria Relief distributed hundreds of millions worth of aid across Syria and helping approximately 3 million people in Syria. Their projects include:
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Running hospitals, mobile clinics, primary health centres, family planning clinics and prosthetic limbs centres, helping over 250,000 people
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Running 162 schools, giving over 55,500 children in Syria an education
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Providing vocation training, cash for work and small business support and rehabilitation of farming, raising livestock and water treatment, helping nearly 20,000 people
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Providing clean water facilities for over 1.5 million people
Syria Relief representatives are available for interview. Please contact Head of Advocacy & Public Relations Charles Lawley on c.lawley@syriarelief.org.ukmailto:c.lawley@syriarelief.org.uk or call 07535 415 060
Photos of Ibrahim and the damage done to the medical facility are available from this link: https://www.flickr.com/gp/183004365@N02/kZ68e1