Garowe Online (Garowe)
26 December 2007
Puntland — Two medical workers were kidnapped Tuesday in Somalia's Puntland region by heavily-armed militiamen, sources said.
The two female aid workers whose names was not provided are from Spain and they both worked for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in the port city of Bossaso.
Witnesses said a group of militiamen approached the two foreign aid workers at Halwo Kismayo shop at the center of Bossaso city where they were drinking tea.
The two women were taken into a waiting vehicle and transported to an undisclosed location, witnesses said. They were traveling alone and driving their own car.
Puntland police could not be immediately reached for comment.
The kidnapping of the two aid workers comes a day after a French TV reporter, Gwen Le Gouil, was released by his kidnappers after spending eight days in captivity.
Independent sources in Bossaso confidentially told Garowe Online that a $US120,000 ransom payment was given to Gouil's kidnappers.
The Puntland government, which is unable to control human trafficking activities off of its coastline or manage piracy along its shores, is now facing a kidnapping spree aimed at destabilizing the region.
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