GENEVA: A Red Cross ambulance driver was shot dead in Ethiopia while on duty transporting a patient, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Friday.

Mulugeta Andualem was killed in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of western Ethiopia on Wednesday.

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society ambulance driver was hit when armed individuals opened fire on the vehicle in a remote, high-risk area about 50 kilometres from the town of Woreda.

Since the conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, a total of 25 Red Cross volunteers have been killed.

Benishangul-Gumuz is home to armed groups, some of which have joined the Ethiopian Peoples Forces Alliance for Survival, which brings together the main anti-government armed groups from across the vast, multi-ethnic country.

“No one should lose their life while providing medical assistance,” the Geneva-based IFRC said in a statement.

“Humanitarian personnel, ambulances, and medical facilities must be protected. Health teams must be able to reach people in need without fear of being attacked or losing their lives.”

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2026