Friday, February 20, 2009

Italian nuns abducted near Somali border freed

Two Italian nuns in their 60s kidnapped near the Somali border more than three months ago were freed on Thursday, and one of them said they were treated well and prayed often throughout the ordeal.

"We were treated well," Caterina Giraudo, 67, told Italy's Sky TG-24 of their abduction in northern Kenya by suspected Somali bandits. "They gave us everything that we needed and we're doing well."

She said "we had learned that many people were worried about us, supported us and prayed for us. We prayed a lot, too."

Giraudo and Maria Teresa Oliviero, 61, were abducted by armed men on November 10 in the northern Kenya district of Mandera.

The hostages, who had lived in Kenya for years, were taken across the border into Somalia, Italy's ambassador to Nairobi told AFP. The neighbouring region of southern Somalia has been controlled by Islamist fighters allied to local militia.

Giraudo said the kidnapping was "very quick" and happened "in a few minutes."

Italy's foreign ministry confirmed their release to AFP, though details were not immediately available.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressed his "satisfaction following the freeing of the two sisters."

"I followed this matter closely," he said, according to ANSA news agency. "The two sisters are doing well and are in our embassy in Nairobi."

Italy's ambassador to Nairobi, Pierandrea Magistrati, told AFP that the nuns "were released this morning. Their condition is fine.

"They are happy. It is a happy day for us."

He said that the abductors had taken the nuns to Somalia's conflict-riven capital Mogadishu, but could not reveal what led to their release.

The Vatican had previously expressed concern about the nuns and indicated that Pope Benedict XVI was monitoring the situation.

On Thursday, a Vatican spokesman spoke of "joy" after their release.

"It is a great joy," said Father Federico Lombardi, cited by ANSA. "We prayed for them for months."

In November, a Somali national was charged in a Nairobi court with kidnapping the two nuns. Abdikadir Mohammed Omar faced charges of kidnapping and robbery with violence.

Armed Somali gangs have carried out scores of kidnappings in recent months, often targeting either foreigners or Somalis working with international organisations to demand ransoms.

Two Italian aid workers kidnapped in Somalia in May 2008 were freed after being held for some 10 weeks.

A relative of a Somali hostage kidnapped along with the aid workers alleged that a ransom of one million dollars (650,000 euros) had been paid. The Italian foreign ministry, however, denied paying a ransom.

Last month, a Japanese doctor and Dutch nurse kidnapped in Somalia last September while working for a French medical charity were freed.

A Somali armed group that snatched the pair in a drought-stricken village in Ethiopia had demanded three million dollars in ransom, but the charity, Medecins du Monde, did not say whether any money was paid.

The spate of kidnappings has complicated the delivery of aid to the most affected populations in Somalia, a country long plagued by conflict and humanitarian emergencies.

The country has had no effective central authority since the 1991 ouster of former president Mohamed Siad Barre touched off a bloody cycle of clashes between rival factions.

Source: AFP

No comments:

Post a Comment