Sadly, what donors, administrators and other foreign workers need understand is — this is of course known by locals — that most terrorist groups have no inclination for adherence to any international humanitarian laws. They do not have or see the universalist perspective and this aspect must be understood. Local specialists often have no choice but to stay, and many thus continue to contribute to the welfare of others. But foreigners do have a choice. I comprehend, from personal experience, that a personal compunction to contribute to humanity drives humanitarians. But it must also be clear that a) one must be fully informed of seriously bad possibilities beforehand (and this is often not the case); and b) agree that if one nonetheless willingly enters a dangerous environment and gets into a cataclysmic situation, assistance may not be available. My comment is not to downplay or deter anyone from helping in dire situations, but merely to reinforce that any humanitarian must be fully informed and must clearly understand the context in which he or she would be working.
Lastly, in cases wherein even humanitarian organizations decline to enter a particular area and yet someone decides to play martyr, there should be no expectation of speedy extraction.