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Three aid workers shot dead in Somalia

24 December 2011 01:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A gunman on Friday killed three aid workers, including two World Food Programme staff, in central Somalia in the latest attack on humanitarian officials in the war-torn nation, APA reports quoting AFP.

The WFP temporarily suspended operations in the area -- which is on the front line in fighting between Shebab Islamists and a rival militia -- and UN chief Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack.

The WFP said "an individual opened fire killing outright one WFP staff member and a man working for a cooperating partner. A second WFP staff member was shot and later died as a result of his injuries."

The assailant gave himself up and is in the custody of local authorities," the WFP said.

The WFP identified the victims as Muhyedin Yarrow, 54, and Mohamed Salad, 28. The third victim worked for a non-government group called Doyale, according to the UN agency. He was identified as Abdulahi Ali.

All three men were Somalis.

The UN secretary general "strongly condemns" the killings, his spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Ban called on Somali authorities to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and to "swiftly" bring those responsible to justice.

The men were killed near Mataban, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Ethiopian border in Hiran province, a front line area between Shebab and rival militia.

The motive was not immediately clear, but the area is awash with rival militia groups and close to areas controlled by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab.

Shebab insurgents control large parts of central and southern Somalia but are facing increasing pressure from government forces and regional armies.

Somalia is one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers.

The Shebab have imposed draconian restrictions on international aid agencies operating in the areas they control, large parts of which were declared famine zones earlier this year.

Three regions of south Somalia are still in a state of famine, and close on 250,000 people are in danger of dying of starvation, according to the UN.

Shebab insurgents are facing increasing pressure from regional armies and government forces, with the rebels leaving fixed positions in Mogadishu in favour of guerrilla tactics.

Ethiopian soldiers were reported to have crossed into the Hiran region last month, although Addis Ababa has denied its forces crossed the border.

Kenyan forces are battling the rebels in the far south, after sending troops across the border in October.

Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti have all contributed to a 10,000-strong African Union force protecting the weak Western-backed Somali government from the rebels in the capital Mogadishu.

The Horn of Africa country has been ravaged by a nearly uninterrupted civil war since the 1991 ouster of president Siad Barre sparked vicious bloodletting by rival militias fighting for power.