Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Humanitarian agencies in Somalia are considering suspending operations after two aid workers were shot dead in less than 24 hours

Some aid organizations are reported to be reviewing their security measures following the attacks. Violence against aid workers in Somalia has increased dramatically, but it is not clear exactly who is behind the attacks. Half of Somalia's population needs food aid due to drought and conflict. Two men were shot in separate incidents about 13 kilometers from the capital, Mogadishu. Mohamed Mohamud Qeyre was killed. He was the deputy director of a local aid group affiliated to the German organization Bread for the World. "Two men shot him three times in the head and the ribs," a witness said. Another man who worked for an organization linked to the United Nation's World Food Program is said to be in a serious condition. In a third incident, another aid worker was killed in Galharei town in central Somalia. "He was going to a mosque and he stepped out of his home," said local clan elder Ahmed Shire Yabar. "Two men armed with pistols shot him four times and escaped. He died on the spot," he said. A senior Somali aid worker for the UN was kidnapped in June 2008, and another shot dead recently. A driver for the World Food Program was also killed at a checkpoint.

No comments: