On 11 December, a suicide bomber attacked the UN House in Algeria. The deadly truck bomb blast destroyed most of the United Nations offices. 17 United Nations staff members were killed and others were injured. The offices of UNIC Algiers, based on the ground floor of the UN building, were partly destroyed. Two UNIC staff members sustained minor injuries but have now recovered from their injuries.
Following the terrible attack, UNIC Algiers (established in 1963) could not recover the contents of its library. This was a key component of UNIC’s work and contained valuable collections of documents dating back to 1948. The part of the building containing UNIC's library was not destroyed but is located in an unsafe part of the damaged building. A priority of UNIC Algiers, while resuming its regular activities, will be to reconstitute its library's contents.
UNIC Algiers will soon be relocated in new premises and will continue to inform the Algerian public about UN goals and activities, to help people better understand how the United Nations work worldwide makes a difference in their lives.