Tuesday 25 October 2011

Gunmen in Somalia abduct two foreign aid workers


MOGADISHU — Gunmen abducted two foreign aid workers Tuesday in central Somalia, a security official said, the latest in a string of abductions by militia groups from the war-torn nation.
"We have reports that two foreign aid workers from DDG (Danish Demining Group) were kidnapped from near the airport at Galkayo by gunmen. We are following up to get further details," said Ali Mohamed, a Somali security official.
The foreigners' nationalities were not immediately clear, but they are believed to be a man and a woman.
DDG clears landmines and other unexploded ordnance in the area to open up the use of land. It also provides mine risk education to reduce injuries, and has been present in the region since 2007.
Galkayo, which straddles the border between Puntland and the self-proclaimed separate region of Galmudug in central Somalia, saw heavy fighting last month between rival political or clan groups.
Somalia is one of the world's most dangerous regions for aid workers, several of whom have been kidnapped in the past by ransom-seeking militia groups.
It is also home to a number of pirate gangs who earn a living by seizing boats, but who have recently been accused of capturing hostages on land as well.
A lack of effective central government since Somalia plunged into civil war two decades ago has allowed a flourishing of militias, Islamist insurgencies and pirate gangs ruling mini-fiefdoms.
Both Galmudug and Puntland signed a nation-building roadmap last month with the weak Western-backed government in Mogadishu and oppose the Islamist Shebab insurgents who control Somali regions further south.
Four European women have been abducted in recent weeks from Kenya by gunmen who later fled to Somalia.
Kenya sent troops and tanks into southern Somalia last week to fight the Shebab, whom it blames for the spate of kidnappings of foreigners, but the rebels have denied being behind the seizures.
The hardline insurgents have vowed to retaliate against the attacks, and Kenyan police say they suspect two grenade attacks Monday in Nairobi could be linked to Shebab operatives.
Two Spanish aid workers were seized in Kenya's eastern Dadaab camp earlier this month and are believed to have been taken across the border into Somalia.
A British tourist was kidnapped from Kenya's coastal areas last month, followed shortly afterward by a Frenchwoman, who later died in captivity.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetang'ula repeated Tuesday his country's determination to protect its borders through its military assault in Somalia.
"Kenya cannot watch unwarranted kidnaps of its tourists (and) aid workers and violation of territorial integrity," he said in a statement.

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