UN suspends aid operations in north Caucasus after relief worker is abducted

The United Nations today said it has suspended humanitarian operations in the Republic of Chechnya, Russian Federation, after a senior aid worker was recently abducted from the area.

Activities will be placed on hold indefinitely inside Chechnya, where Nina Davidovich, a Russian relief official heading the non-governmental organization (NGO) Druzhba, was kidnapped, according to a statement released by the Office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Russian Federation.

The suspension is valid for two days in the Republic of Ingushetia, where Druzhba is based, and covers all humanitarian activities carried out by the UN and its NGO partners.

The Humanitarian Coordinator, Rosemary McCreery, is expected to arrive in Grozny tomorrow for talks with Chechen officials, according to a UN spokesman.

Druzhba, a local organization, is working with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on educational and psychosocial programmes for children affected by the consequences of the situation in Chechnya.