Somalia: abducted UNICEF employee released unharmed

A Somali employee of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) liaison office who was abducted last week in Mogadishu has been released unharmed, the UN agency reported today.

"We are very thankful indeed that Ahmed Moalim Mohamed has come safely out of this ordeal," Dr. Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF's representative in Somalia and Acting UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

"It is of paramount importance that the security of staff of humanitarian agencies is guaranteed, so that they can continue their work in Somalia on vital programmes for improving the welfare of all Somalis," Dr. Rotigliano said.

Last Thursday, Mr. Mohamed, the most senior UNICEF national officer and an employee of the agency since 1993, was seized at gunpoint and driven away to an undisclosed location while making his way to work.