ICRC German nurse abducted in Somali capital
It’s the second attack in as many days to target health workers in the country.
MOGADISHU – Unidentified gunmen abducted a female German nurse working for the International Committee of the Red Cross from the group’s compound in the nation’s capital, the aid agency said, the second attack in as many days to target health workers in the country.
The ICRC has in March lost a Somali employee, Abdulhafid Yusuf Ibrahim, after an improvised explosive devise was detonated while he was in his car leaving the ICRC office in Mogadishu. An other staff member suffered minor injuries in the explosion.
The Wednesday night attack in Mogadishu comes just a day after another female employee with the World Health Organization was killed in the same city as she shopped for what relatives said was her upcoming wedding.
The ICRC demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of the German nurse,Sonja Nientiet, whose abduction occurred at around 8:00pm local time.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety of our colleague,” said Daniel O’Malley, ICRC’s deputy head of delegation for Somalia. “She is a nurse who was working every day to save lives and improve the health of some of Somalia’s most vulnerable people.”
The ICRC declined to give further details about the incident, only saying in a statement that it’s “in contact with various authorities to try and secure her release.”
Abdiaziz xildhibaan, the spokesman for the security ministry, said security agents have recovered the car that was used to abduct the nurse after the gunmen abandoned it at Tarbun area in the capital’s Hodan district.
No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction or the Tuesday’s shooting death of Mariam Abdullahi Mohamed, who was working to support WHO’s polio eradication and immunization efforts.
However, in a nation tormented by weak security organs and an active insurgence led by al-Qaida-linked group of al Shabab, the blame always falls on armed anti-government groups, freelance militiamen or hired assassins operating in the the Horn of Africa country that is still recovering from decades of civil war and foreign interference.
In a statement on Wednesday, WHO condemned Mariam’s killing, saying its “staff and the wider humanitarian community in Somalia are shocked and saddened by the news of this brutal attack.”
“Ms Mariam was a much loved colleague who worked tirelessly to help ensure that Somali children get the best possible start in life,” Ghulam Popal, WHO Representative for Somalia, said in a statement on Wednesday.
In Somalia, the ICRC provides emergency assistance, promotes and monitors International humanitarian law, visits detainees and restores contact between family members separated by conflict.