Portraits
A tribute to the UN colleagues killed in Mazar e Sharif on April 1st 2011
Like any other Friday, we were in one of the UN guesthouses in Mazar when the protests and attacks happened. We heard the shootings - something very unusual in Mazar- and saw smoke coming out from UNAMA office, less than one Km away from the guesthouse. We ran to the bunker to seek refuge. At the beginning we didn’t take it very seriously, as everybody was joking about the situation. Moods started to change when we realized that radio and mobile communication system at UNAMA radio room had been disrupted. This triggered rumors from guards and drivers, probably one of our best protection in the field. At that point all was quite frenetic, mobiles could not stop ringing and everybody was running up and down the stairs. Situation got worse after confirmation that three international colleagues and four guards had been killed. A friend of mine broke down in tears.
Two hours later we were informed that protesters had dispersed and at this time we were allowed to come out of the bunker. I called one of our drivers, my dear friend Ahmad Shah, who came in his private car – a better option than a UN Land Cruiser considering the circumstances - to rescue us and take us back home.
The worst was probably the following day when we met the only survivor of the attack. Just minutes before we had seen him in a video footage on Al Jazeera. When he entered the room everybody run to give him a hug - a very emotional moment.
The struggle while trying to go back to normal is thinking about those whom we lost, their families, dreams, aspirations and the terrible moments they had to pass through. The crime, trying to do something good for others.
These portraits are a tribute to those killed in the name of fanaticism.
Diego Fernandez Gabaldon
Like any other Friday, we were in one of the UN guesthouses in Mazar when the protests and attacks happened. We heard the shootings - something very unusual in Mazar- and saw smoke coming out from UNAMA office, less than one Km away from the guesthouse. We ran to the bunker to seek refuge. At the beginning we didn’t take it very seriously, as everybody was joking about the situation. Moods started to change when we realized that radio and mobile communication system at UNAMA radio room had been disrupted. This triggered rumors from guards and drivers, probably one of our best protection in the field. At that point all was quite frenetic, mobiles could not stop ringing and everybody was running up and down the stairs. Situation got worse after confirmation that three international colleagues and four guards had been killed. A friend of mine broke down in tears.
Two hours later we were informed that protesters had dispersed and at this time we were allowed to come out of the bunker. I called one of our drivers, my dear friend Ahmad Shah, who came in his private car – a better option than a UN Land Cruiser considering the circumstances - to rescue us and take us back home.
The worst was probably the following day when we met the only survivor of the attack. Just minutes before we had seen him in a video footage on Al Jazeera. When he entered the room everybody run to give him a hug - a very emotional moment.
The struggle while trying to go back to normal is thinking about those whom we lost, their families, dreams, aspirations and the terrible moments they had to pass through. The crime, trying to do something good for others.
These portraits are a tribute to those killed in the name of fanaticism.
Diego Fernandez Gabaldon