TESTIMONY
They worked in one of the most dangerous areas of Africa, to help the poor. On Sunday, six young French humanitarian workers working for the NGO Acted were killed in Niger by armed men, during a tourist excursion. While France is preparing the repatriation of the bodies, as well as the tribute that could be paid to these young people, relatives of two of the victims, Myriam and Stella, have agreed to testify at the microphone of Europe 1, and tell their passion for their profession, as well as their generosity.
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Originally from Toulouse, Myriam joined Acted two years ago, and had been transferred to Niger a few months ago, after trips to Tunisia and Chad. "She was really a generous person, who did not look at her time, and always ready to help," recalls one of her cousins. "We look at the pictures, and we have a hard time finding one where she is serious." This relative also describes a Myriam "always smiling, welcoming, benevolent and open towards everyone". And to conclude: "It is the character which she had, and which made that she had made this commitment to go to help the most deprived. It was what she wanted to do."
"We can't explain the pain we feel"
Stella came from Montpellier, and in 2020 joined Reach, a humanitarian data analysis program launched by Acted and its sister organization, Impact. Contacted by Europe 1, Eddy, a former colleague when she worked for the NGO Oxfam in the Central African Republic in 2019, said he had lost "someone fabulous, who worked for the community, to help the displaced".
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Stella's commitment was, he assures, a "pure" commitment, and the young woman was "someone passionate about what she was doing, courageous, always listening, always with a smile". As a humanitarian, he adds, "we work with fear in our stomachs, and we sometimes say to ourselves: 'Am I going to come back or not?'"
"We feel revolted, because it's a lot of sacrifice. We leave the family, we travel to go to communities that are in need. And when things like that happen, we can't understand why it happens. to people like her. It's very sad. You can't explain the pain you feel, "he says again.