Gunmen kidnap two workers for Save the Children in Somalia
By Nangayi Guyson –Two workers of Save the Children organization have been kidnapped in Somalia by unknown gunmen the charity says.
The two men, a Zimbabwean security consultant and a local aid worker were seized from the town of Adado near the Ethiopian border , local witnesses have told the BBC.
The security consultant who is also believed to be a British national had reportedly gone to Adado to see if it was safe enough for Save the Children to set up a base there.
“The gunmen, heavily armed with machine-guns, stormed the building where the men stayed and they took them,” local elder Mohamed Abdullahi told the AFP news agency. Save the Children says it has no details on the pair’s well-being or whereabouts.
Several foreigners have been kidnapped in Somalia in recent years.Most have been freed unhurt after a ransom has been paid. After years of violence, few foreigners still work in Somalia.
Al-Shabab and its allies which control most of southern and central Somalia with links to al-Qaeda is trying to wrest away control of the town and there is heavy fighting near the airport, reporters says.
In recent weeks, government forces, backed by African Union peacekeepers, have gained some ground in Mogadishu but still Al-Shabab and its allies control most of southern and central Somalia.
