A very sad day at the office

The WFP office in Islamabad, Pakistan, was attacked by a suicide bomber today, and five of my colleagues were killed, with numerous others injured. One of the men who died had only recently returned to work after being injured in the last attack on WFP in Pakistan, back in June. Four 'WFP-spouses' were widowed today. Eleven children have lost their Mum or Dad. And though I'd never met them, having just met other colleages from the field, in southern Africa, there is a real sense of 'there but for the grace of the gods' for me today.

Violence against humanitarian workers is growing in many countries: last year, more humanitarian staff were killed on duty than peacekeepers, apparently the first time that's happened. Of those aid workers, half work for WFP. There's a very good explanation of that side of things in TIME magazine.

Fear is a powerful weapon and people who don't want democracy, or education for girls, or freedom of expression, use fear to try to stop humanitarian work from going on. But if we stopped now, the efforts made in the past by my former colleagues would all go to waste.

And that would be a very poor way to remember them.