UN deplores murder of three aid workers in Somalia
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 23 December 2011 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN deplores murder of three aid workers in Somalia, 23 December 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4f0abd402.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also strongly condemned the killing and urged authorities in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers, in a statement issued by his spokesperson.
Mr. Ban extended his sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of the three humanitarian workers and their colleagues, saying he expected those rWFP condemns the killing of people who devote their lives to helping others and extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims.esponsible for the murder to be swiftly brought to justice.
The attack took place in Mataban town in Somalia's central Hiran region, where the two WFP employees Muhyedin Yarrow and Mohamed Salad as well as Abdulahi Ali of the non-governmental organization (NGO) known as Doyale were on a mission to monitor food aid distribution.
The gunman who shot the three aid workers reportedly gave himself up after committing the crime and was taken into custody by local authorities. WFP operations are temporarily suspended in Mataban while the incident is being investigated.
"WFP condemns the killing of people who devote their lives to helping others and extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims," the agency said in a statement.
Mr. Yarrow, 54, had worked with WFP for 13 years, during which he served in the Somali towns of Baidoa, Wajid and Galkayo. Mr. Salad, 28, joined WFP's relief operation in Galkayo two years ago.
WFP is providing food to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and malnourished children in Hiran, which was badly affected by this year's drought-induced food shortages, but was not officially declared to be in a state of famine, as were some other parts of Somalia.
