Gunman kills three aid workers in south-central Somalia

[News_Editor]

Gunman kills three aid workers in south-central Somalia

2011-12-24 09:40:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) World Food Program (WFP) on Friday confirmed that two of its staff members and a colleague from a partner organization were killed by a gunman in south-central Somalia.

The three men were on a mission to monitor food aid distribution in the town of Mataban, which is located in the south-central administrative region of Hiran, when a gunman suddenly opened fire at them.

"The gunman who shot the three aid workers reportedly gave himself up after committing the crime and was taken into custody by local authorities," the agency said in a statement. "WFP operations are temporarily suspended in Mataban while the incident is being investigated."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killing and expressed condolences to the families of the three humanitarian workers. "The Secretary-General calls on the authorities to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers," his spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, said in a statement. "He expects those responsible to be swiftly brought to justice."

WFP also condemned the attack, adding that it "illustrates the risks that relief workers face in one of the world's most dangerous places." The agency was in the area to provide food to internally displaced people after it was badly affected by this year's drought-induced food shortages.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), conflict, violence against civilians, drought and famine, have forced an estimated 295,000 people to flee Somalia this year. The UNHCR said Somalia remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with more than 950,000 Somalis living as refugees in neighboring countries, while another 1.46 million are internally displaced.

Somalia has been without an effective government since Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown two decades ago.

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