UN appeals for safety for humanitarian workers in Somalia after recent abduction
Aid workers in strife-torn Somalia should be able to operate in safety with full access to those in need, a senior United Nations official said today, in the wake of the recent abduction and release of a UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) staff member in the south of the impoverished Horn of Africa country.
Aid workers in strife-torn Somalia should be able to operate in safety with full access to those in need, a senior United Nations official said today, in the wake of the recent abduction and release of a UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) staff member in the south of the impoverished Horn of Africa country.
Christian Balslev-Olesen, Acting Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, made his comments as UNICEF staffer Robert McCarthy was reunited with his family in Nairobi, Kenya, after spending about 30 hours held captive by armed men.
“Aid workers should be able to operate without fear and we appeal again to all political and religious leaders, elders, the business community and opinion leaders in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and the critically-needed assistance they deliver, especially during the current drought,” Mr. Balslev-Olesen said.
“We cannot save lives if we cannot reach the communities that are in need, and we are not guaranteed safe passage.”
Mr. McCarthy, aged 47, was released unharmed into the custody of UN security staff and members of the Somali Transitional Federal Government on Thursday, after being abducted on the outskirts of Afmadow, 110 kilometres northwest of Kismayo in the Lower Juba region of Somalia a day earlier.
After his release, McCarthy thanked the local community, the elders and the Transitional Federal Government for their support while he was in Afmadow and said he would want to continue to work in Somalia.
UNICEF has around 200 staff working for its Somalia operation and of these, about 75 are based at the agency’s Somalia Support Centre, in Nairobi, Kenya and the rest inside Somalia. About 30 international staff work for UNICEF Somalia.
UNICEF has been operating in Somalia since 1972 and, following the collapse of the Government in 1991, it has continued to render services to children and women, working with local administrations where they exist, Somali communities, local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other UN agencies to help deliver services.