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Remembering Michael Sharp, American U.N. Worker Killed In Congo

NPR
Published March 30, 2017 at 1:40 PM EDT

The bodies of two United Nations workers were discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo this week. Michael Sharp, an American from Kansas, and Zaida Catalán of Sweden went missing two weeks ago, along with their Congolese interpreter and drivers, after entering rebel-held territory.

Sharp, 34, was part of the U.N. “Group of Experts” tasked with conflict resolution in the Congo. When NPR correspondent Gregory Warner met him in 2015, however, Sharp was doing humanitarian work with the Mennonite Central Committee.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young listens back to Warner’s 2015 profile of Sharp, then speaks with Warner (@radiogrego) to remember Sharp and talk about the larger context of the conflict in Congo.

More Photos:

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Sharp addressing the U.N. Security Council in August 2016, in a photo taken by a colleague. (Courtesy of the Sharp family)
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Sharp addressing the U.N. Security Council in August 2016, in a photo taken by a colleague. (Courtesy of the Sharp family)
Michael Sharp on hike along Lake Kiva. (Courtesy of the Sharp family)
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Michael Sharp on hike along Lake Kiva. (Courtesy of the Sharp family)
US