UN EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR SADDENED BY DEATHS OF AID WORKERS KILLED BY GUNMEN IN SOMALILAND

UN EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR SADDENED BY DEATHS

OF AID WORKERS KILLED BY GUNMEN IN SOMALILAND

NEW YORK,21 October (OCHA) -- In a statement today, Jan Egeland, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, expressed profound sorrow over the killing by unknown gunmen of two aid workers in the town of Sheikh, in northern Somalia.  He also extended his condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased.

The workers, who were British nationals, were working, on behalf of the non-governmental organization SOSChildren's Villages, in a northern region of Somalia known as Somaliland.  The murders follow closely on the killing of an Italian aid worker in Somaliland on 5 October 2003.  A total of four international aid workers have been killed in Somalia since mid-September.

Mr. Egeland’s statement said that, as a result of the incidents, no additional workers will be allowed to travel to Somaliland until the situation has stabilized.  He called upon the Somaliland authorities to take immediate action to find and prosecute those responsible for the killings and to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in the area.

For further information, please call Stephanie Bunker, tel.: +917 367 5126 (OCHA New York); or Elizabeth Byrs, tel.: +41 22 917 2653 (OCHA Geneva).

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