By MOHAMED SHEIKH NOR
Sunday, November 09, 2008
At least 16 aid workers have been killed so far this year in Somalia, which is caught up in a civil war with Islamic insurgents. The impoverished Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991.
Mohamed Saakow, who worked for Mercy Corps, was killed Saturday night in Jamame, about 275 miles (440 kilometers) from the capital of Mogadishu, said Januune Ali, a village elder.
Foreigners, journalists and aid workers are frequently abducted for ransom in Somalia. They also have been targeted for killings, but it is unclear who is behind the killings.
Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting and hundreds of thousands have fled the capital. More than 2 million people are dependent on food aid in Somalia, and control of aid has often provoked fighting among Somalia's clan-based warlords.
Associated Press writer Mohamed Olad Hassan contributed to this report.
Source: AP, Nov 09, 2008