SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPLORES FATAL ASSAULT ON NGO VEHICLE IN BURUNDI

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPLORES FATAL ASSAULT ON NGO VEHICLE IN BURUNDI

The following statement was issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is deeply grieved to learn of the ambush on a vehicle belonging to the British non-governmental organization Children's Aid Direct (CAD) near Bubanza, Burundi, on 21 June 2001, in which the vehicle's driver was murdered and three others were briefly held hostage before their release following action by Government forces.

This latest atrocity occurs just five weeks after six other aid workers were kidnapped and held hostage for five days in Makamba province.  The Secretary-General urgently calls on all parties in Burundi to respect the neutrality of humanitarian workers, and to ensure their safety and security.

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