While inspecting the damage caused by a car bombing at UN offices in Algiers, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his shock at the attack that killed 17 UN staff. He emphasized that terrorism is never justified and must be condemned in the name of humanity and the international community. Ban was deeply affected by the attack, which was one of two bombings that took place in Algiers on December 11, resulting in the deaths of at least 37 people. These bombings were the second major attacks in the capital of the OPEC member country, which is still recovering from a civil war in the 1990s that claimed up to 200,000 lives. "I want to offer my sincere condolences to the government and people of Algeria, as well as to the families of the victims and my UN colleagues." Witnesses reported that Ban was taken in a heavily guarded convoy to the Hydra district in the city, where he inspected the damaged offices of the UN refugee agency and the UN Development Programme. Reporters were not allowed to go with Ban to the site. The second suicide car bombing on December 11 caused damage to the Constitutional Court building in the Ben Aknoun district. The North African branch of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that they were targeting what they referred to as "the slaves of America and France." Ban had a meeting with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika where they discussed collaborating to combat terrorism, as well as addressing issues such as climate change, illegal migration, and the situation in Western Sahara. The United Nations confirmed that 14 Algerians, one person from Denmark, Senegal, and the Philippines were among the victims of the recent attacks. Ban condemned the bombings as an assault on those working towards the UN's mission and called for increased security measures at UN offices worldwide. Dervis, the UN Development Programme Administrator, mentioned during a recent visit to Algiers that additional funding would be required for enhanced security measures.