SOMALIA:An Irish nurse caught up in a roadside blast that killed her aid worker boyfriend in Somalia earlier this week has said the incident should not deter humanitarian organisations from working in the country.
Elaine Badrian (29) from Tullamore, Co Offaly, arrived in Somalia a month ago to work with the Dutch branch of medical aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Her boyfriend, Damien Lehalle (27), a logistician from Lyon, France, also worked for the organisation. Both were to spend nine months working on MSF projects in Somalia.
Mr Lehalle was killed, along with a Kenyan doctor colleague and their Somali driver, when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by a roadside bomb near the southern town of Kismayo on Monday. A Somali journalist was also killed in the explosion, and another MSF worker was wounded.
Ms Badrian was travelling in a separate car in front. "I remember hearing a very loud bang. I thought one of the tyres had blown," she told The Irish Times from Nairobi. "We got out of the car to see what we could do but it was obvious we couldn't do anything at that stage. It all happened so quickly."
Ms Badrian was unharmed and was later evacuated to Nairobi.
MSF had strict security measures for its staff in Somalia, she said. "This came out of nowhere. There was no lead-up, no indication of hostilities. Despite what has happened, we should not turn our backs on the country. There is a very great need there and this should not deter people from addressing that need."
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast. French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, a co-founder of MSF, offered his condolences and called for a full investigation.
"We need to shed proper light on the exact circumstances behind these deaths," he said. "It is unacceptable that . . . representatives of such organisations are becoming the victims of their courage and generosity."
MSF withdrew its international staff from Somalia following the blast but local Somali staff continue to work on the ground. Jeff Prescott, director of MSF Holland, said the organisation would make a final decision on Somalia after assessing the current security situation. "There are huge health and humanitarian needs there but we cannot put the lives of our staff at risk," he said.
Somalia has become increasingly dangerous in the last year, with hundreds of civilians killed and many more displaced by clashes between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian-backed government forces. A report released earlier this month by the African Union warned the rebels were expanding operations to regions relatively peaceful up to now.