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Somalia: UN’s Ban decries kidnapping of aid workers in Somalia
Thu. November 06, 2008 12:25 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. -
(SomaliNet) Demanding their immediate release, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations condemned "mostly strongly" the kidnapping of four aid workers and two pilots in Somalia earlier in the day.
"The secretary-general most strongly condemns the abduction of four aid workers and two pilots from an airstrip near the town of Dhusamareb in Somalia today," Ban's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said.
The UN chief is "deeply concerned" about the worsening trend of killings and abductions of aid workers in Somalia, she said.
"He calls upon all parties to respect the neutral and impartial status of humanitarian staff, and to allow them to do their work bringing vital life-saving assistance to millions of Somalis, nearly half of the population, who are counting on this support for their survival," Montas said.
The six victims were abducted on Wednesday by unidentified gunmen in the central Somali town of Dhusamareb, the provincial capital of Galgadud region, the regional governor said.
Dhusamareb is about 550 km north of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Hussein Ali Wehliye, governor of Galgaduud, said the aid workers were about to fly to Nairobi, Kenya, when the gunmen overpowered the bodyguards accompanying them. He said the aid workers were staff of the ACF (Action Contre la Faim) aid agency.
"I was told that the gunmen overpowered the bodyguards of the ACF staff and were taken outside the town (of Dhusamareb)," Wehliye told Xinhua by phone from Dhusamareb.
Wehliye could not verify the nationalities of the abducted foreigners but unconfirmed local media reports said that the six included a Belgian, a Pole and two French nationals all working for the ACF aid agency while two pilots were from Kenya.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the latest abduction in Somalia where a number of other foreigners are being held hostage for ransom.
Locals and foreigners are kidnapped in Somalia mainly for ransom and are mostly released after intervention by local clan elders who wield substantial influence on militias.-Xinhua
News Category: Somalia
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