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| Gunmen abduct German nurse after storming Red Cross facility in Somalia | Gunmen abduct German nurse after storming Red Cross facility in Somalia |
| (2 months later) | |
| A German nurse working for the International Committee of the Red Cross has been kidnapped by armed men from a compound in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. | A German nurse working for the International Committee of the Red Cross has been kidnapped by armed men from a compound in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. |
| The abduction, on Wednesday evening, took place after gunmen entered the site and grabbed the woman, taking her out through a back entrance to evade security guards. | The abduction, on Wednesday evening, took place after gunmen entered the site and grabbed the woman, taking her out through a back entrance to evade security guards. |
| The nurse was later identified in reports as Sonja Nientiet, who had worked for the ICRC since 2014 in conflict zones, including Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. | The nurse was later identified in reports as Sonja Nientiet, who had worked for the ICRC since 2014 in conflict zones, including Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. |
| The kidnapping was the second serious incident involving health workers in Somalia this week following the killing of an employee of the World Health Organisation, Mariam Abdullahi, on Tuesday. | The kidnapping was the second serious incident involving health workers in Somalia this week following the killing of an employee of the World Health Organisation, Mariam Abdullahi, on Tuesday. |
| Daniel O’Malley, the ICRC’s deputy head in Somalia, said: “We are deeply concerned about the safety of our colleague. | Daniel O’Malley, the ICRC’s deputy head in Somalia, said: “We are deeply concerned about the safety of our colleague. |
| “She is a nurse who was working every day to save lives and improve the health of some of Somalia’s most vulnerable.” | “She is a nurse who was working every day to save lives and improve the health of some of Somalia’s most vulnerable.” |
| A police operation is underway, said local officer Major Mohamed Hussein: “We got the report minutes after she was abducted and now we are searching the whole area. We hope we shall find her.” | A police operation is underway, said local officer Major Mohamed Hussein: “We got the report minutes after she was abducted and now we are searching the whole area. We hope we shall find her.” |
| No group has claimed responsibility but, in the past, foreigners, journalists and aid workers among them, have been kidnapped by armed gangs or al-Shabaab militants and held for ransom, sometimes for years at a time. | No group has claimed responsibility but, in the past, foreigners, journalists and aid workers among them, have been kidnapped by armed gangs or al-Shabaab militants and held for ransom, sometimes for years at a time. |
| Abductions and killings of Somali aid workers are common, but targeting foreign workers has become less frequent in recent years as security has improved. | Abductions and killings of Somali aid workers are common, but targeting foreign workers has become less frequent in recent years as security has improved. |
| In March, Abdulhafid Yusuf Ibrahim, a Somali national who had worked for ICRC for only five months, died after a bomb exploded beneath his car as he left the office. | In March, Abdulhafid Yusuf Ibrahim, a Somali national who had worked for ICRC for only five months, died after a bomb exploded beneath his car as he left the office. |
| Unlike many other international aid agencies working in Somalia, the ICRC does not base itself within the well-defended perimeter of Mogadishu’s airport, which acts as the city’s “green zone”, housing foreign embassies and the UN agencies coordinating the humanitarian and political response to Somalia’s crises. | Unlike many other international aid agencies working in Somalia, the ICRC does not base itself within the well-defended perimeter of Mogadishu’s airport, which acts as the city’s “green zone”, housing foreign embassies and the UN agencies coordinating the humanitarian and political response to Somalia’s crises. |
| Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, who is visiting Ethiopia and Tanzania this week, told journalists in Addis Ababa he would not comment “on any hostage cases”. | Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, who is visiting Ethiopia and Tanzania this week, told journalists in Addis Ababa he would not comment “on any hostage cases”. |
| “I have deep respect for all people, especially people from Germany, working abroad in order to help others,” said Maas. | “I have deep respect for all people, especially people from Germany, working abroad in order to help others,” said Maas. |
| Conflict and arms | |
| Somalia | Somalia |
| International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) |
| news | news |
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