Highly qualified young people, between 25 and 35 years old, and their experienced driver and guide. The profile of the eight victims of the attack in Niger becomes clearer, two days after the attackers stopped their vehicle in the Kouré region. For the most part, their journey shows a significant humanitarian commitment. They had, however, been part of the humanitarian organization for quite a short time.
Very invested in humanitarianism ...
Some had well-established humanitarian projects, such as Léo, the youngest, who was 25, according to Le Parisien . He was the only one with a volunteer contract for the NGO. It had started in April. Myriam, originally from Toulouse, had been under contract for two years. She had first worked in Paris, Tunisia, Chad and had been working in Niger for two months.
>> READ ALSO - French people killed in Niger: Acted, an NGO hit in the heart
Stella, 28, had recently been at Acted. She had worked for Oxfam in the Central African Republic and had just joined the NGO. Originally from Montpellier, she had trained in humanitarian work at the Bioforce institute. Antonin was a graduate of the École normale supérieure. Holder of a master's degree in economics, he was involved in international development.
... or gone through institutional positions
Charline and Nadifa had just joined Acted. Nadifa, in her thirties, was preparing a thesis on the arms trade at the University of Aix-Marseille. She was a very diligent student, according to her teacher. She had also worked in the financial service of the Ministry of the Armed Forces as well as in the service of the Army Commissariat.
Charline, 30, had a doctorate in management and held a position at the French Embassy in Nigeriabefore leaving for Niger, according to La Provence . She also campaigned for the Socialist Party, supporting in particular the candidacy of Benoît Hamon for the presidential election in 2017. The former candidate paid tribute to him on Twitter.
Charline Fouchet was committed to my side during the presidential election. Her convictions had led her to continue her commitment to humanitarian action in Niger. She was murdered by lawless terrorists. My sincere thoughts are with his. pic.twitter.com/unaGR5RGIF
- Benoît Hamon (@benoithamon) August 10, 2020Two 50-year-old Nigeriens
The two Nigeriens were much older and more experienced. Acted's driver, Boubacar Garba Soulay, was 50 years old and had four children. Kadri Abdou Gamatche, 50, was the president of AVEN (Association for the Valorisation of Ecotourism) since its creation in 1998. He also chaired the Association of Giraffe Guides of Kouré.