Abducted UN employee released

The United Nations welcomes the release of Abdulkadir Mohamed Abikar, a national UN project staff member, who was abducted on 5 August. He was released unconditionally in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on 10 August, a press statement from UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator's Office for Somalia said on Monday. "Mr Abikar has undergone a medical examination and is reported to be in good health. He has been reunited with his family in the city, and is scheduled to resume his duties as the Officer-In-Charge of the Mogadishu office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Food Security Assessment Unit after a short break," said the statement. It went on to say that the UN strongly condemned abductions and other attacks on its staff members, and took this opportunity to emphasise its humanitarian mandate to help the people of Somalia. Abikar was the third UN staff member to be abducted in Mogadishu since the beginning of this year. Ahmad Ma'alin Muhammad, better known as Dishapilin, of the UN Children's Programme was abducted by gunmen in Medina district on 28 February and released four days later. Prof Muhammad Ali Abukar of UN Development Programme was abducted on 28 April in the same area, and eventually released on 25 May.