We remember Saidi Kayiranga
Saidi Kayiranga was born on 5 August 1976 in Rwanda. He attended the Ecole Secondaire Scientifique Islamique in Nyamirambo from 1990 to 1996 where he obtained a high school diploma in mathematics and physics. He then spent three years working as a trainer at the Gacuriro Vocational Training Centre in the Rwandan capital Kigali. In January 2000 Saidi took his first steps towards what would become his lifelong vocation: he signed up to do an Advanced Diploma in Medical Imaging Sciences at the Kigali Health Institute, which he completed in the summer of 2004.
His first job as a radiographer and sonographer saw him covering two district hospitals – Ruli and Rutongo – north of Kigali. In September 2006 Saidi moved to a new position in the radiology unit at King Faisal Hospital, Kigali. He spent seven years there, eventually becoming manager of the radiology unit. During this time, Saidi continued to study hard. He gained a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences/Demography from the Kigali Independent University; a Bachelor of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound from the Ernest Cook Ultrasound Research and Education Institute, Kampala, Uganda; and a Master of Public Health from the University of Roehampton, UK. He was also fluent in five languages: English, French, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Swahili. In 2013 Saidi left Rwanda and moved to Bujumbura, in neighbouring Burundi, to head up the radiology unit at the United Nations Clinic. He returned to Kigali four years later and took over as chief radiographer/sonographer at Legacy Clinics & Diagnostics.
In 2018 Saidi successfully applied to the ICRC as an X-ray technician. His first assignment was to the ICRC subdelegation in Kandahar, Afghanistan, from November 2018 to May 2019. His main tasks were to assess radiation protection protocols at Mirwais Hospital, train the hospital’s X-ray technicians and promote quality health care and safety. Saidi brought passion, professionalism and dedication to his work, initiating weekly training sessions where he shared his many years of experience. Thoughtful, considerate and keen to learn from others, he built a strong rapport with the hospital’s radiology team.
In June 2019 Saidi was posted to Juba, South Sudan, where he was again tasked with assessing radiation protection, this time in the X-ray departments in two ICRC-supported hospitals: Juba Military Hospital and Ganyliel Hospital. He also organized training for X-ray unit staff. As in Afghanistan, Saidi went about his work with enthusiasm; he was hands-on and led by example. Early the following year, Saidi returned to Kandahar for another six-month posting, after which he went to Yemen for a short assignment.
He arrived in the capital Sana’a in October 2020 with the goal of assessing and upgrading radiology services at two ICRC-supported hospitals – Bajil Rural Hospital and Al Talh Hospital – to ensure they adhered to World Health Organization guidelines. Saidi’s expertise and experience proved invaluable during the installation of two new X-ray machines. But it wasn’t just protocols, processes and machines that he was passionate about: he was deeply committed to empowering local radiologists and ensuring better care for patients. One hospital director was so pleased with Saidi’s work that he asked him to extend his visit.
On 30 December 2020, Saidi was waiting to board a flight at Aden airport along with around a dozen ICRC colleagues. He had finished his assignment and was on his way home to Rwanda, looking forward to spending time with his wife and two young daughters. Saidi had been unable to attend the recent birth of his second child because of COVID-19 restrictions, and he was desperate to be reunited with his family. He often spoke of them, saying they were his greatest blessing because they made him feel so loved. As he waited with colleagues in the transit area, the airport was struck by a series of large explosions. Saidi, who was 44, and two other ICRC colleagues – Ahmed Wazir and Hamid Al-Qadam – were killed. Three other ICRC colleagues were injured in the attack. In all, around 30 civilians died and more than 100 were wounded.
Saidi never stopped trying to improve himself. He studied hard and worked hard, yet always found time for others. He was generous with his knowledge and experience, keen to secure the best possible outcomes, whether in terms of staff training or patient welfare. As one colleague in Yemen said, “Saidi came to us as an X-ray technician, but he was so clearly also a humanitarian.”
The ICRC in
Yemen, 2020
In 2020 Yemen continued to be caught in a spiral of armed conflicts and other violence. The Ansarullah movement and the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched frequent attacks against each other, as did government forces and the separatist Southern Transitional Council. Violence intensified in Abyan, Hodeida, Marib and Taiz. The UN called for a ceasefire to allow the parties to focus on containing the spread of COVID-19, but the violence was unabated. Fighting between government forces and armed groups – such as Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula and the Islamic State group – and among the armed groups persisted in some parts of the country. The humanitarian consequences of this protracted violence were calamitous. Health care, water and other basic services were virtually non-existent; supply shortages, already a critical problem, were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, national capacities in tackling public-health emergencies like cholera and COVID-19 were extremely limited. The inaccessibility of essential goods and services, and the loss of livelihoods, pushed millions of people closer to destitution. Much of the population was dependent on some form of aid; but organizations providing it had to contend not only with the immensity of needs but also with challenges such as attacks against their personnel and facilities.
The ICRC strove to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs in Yemen, despite the extremely volatile and increasingly restrictive working environment. Because of the prevailing insecurity and the pandemic, some of our activities were cancelled, postponed or only partially implemented, as was the case with Saidi’s assignment. Our logistics base in Oman and our office in Djibouti continued to support operations in Yemen. We worked closely with the Yemen Red Crescent Society and other Movement partners to cover gaps and coordinate activities. We continued to call on all parties to the conflicts to respect IHL, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and ensure access to essential services and humanitarian aid. Whenever possible, we brought documented allegations of IHL violations and protection-related concerns to their attention.
We supported 35 primary-health-care centres that served some 685,500 people. This assistance consisted of monitoring visits, community outreach activities, donations of medicine and medical equipment, and training of health staff. We also delivered ad hoc support to five of these facilities – including two COVID-19 quarantine sites and two cholera-treatment centres – which helped boost their capacity to respond to public-health emergencies. The ICRC provided 47 hospitals near front lines with medicines, equipment and other supplies; 14 of these hospitals were given daily support by our staff, who supervised hospital personnel or directly treated patients.
Roughly five million people had better access to essential services and a more reliable supply of clean water and electricity – and were less at risk of disease – owing to ICRC initiatives, both planned and ad hoc. Local water and sanitation corporations, water committees and other service providers were given material support and technical guidance. This helped them maintain and operate water and sewage systems, ultimately benefiting everyone in their communities. Emergency repairs and donations helped to prevent service disruption and bolster local capacities in preventing and controlling infections: for example, quarantine sites were provided with water tanks and filters, solar panels and tents.
Because of the pandemic, we suspended our detention visits for much of the year as a precautionary measure, but we continued supporting penitentiary authorities’ efforts to improve detention conditions and respond to COVID-19. This enabled us to meet detention authorities with whom we had no contact previously and to access more places of detention than before: 43 in total, and ten for the first time. These facilities collectively held over 20,000 people.