After an attack on aid workers in Burundi, Annan urges respect for relief staff

Secretary-General Kofi Annan was "deeply grieved" to learn of the ambush of humanitarian aid workers in Burundi, a United Nations spokesman said today in New York.

"The Secretary-General urgently calls on all parties in Burundi to respect the neutrality of humanitarian workers, and to ensure their safety and security," spokesman Manuel de Almeida e Silva told the press in New York.

The ambush occurred yesterday near Bubanza, on a vehicle of the British non-governmental organization Children's Aid Direct (CAD). In the attack, the driver was killed and three others were briefly held hostage before being released following action by government forces.

The atrocity occurred just five weeks after six other aid workers were kidnapped and held hostage for five days in Makamba province, the spokesman said.