SOS Childrens's Villages
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Kaltun Mustaf was taken hostage on Tuesday 16 June by two men armed with pistols, in central Mogadishu. Mrs Kaltun Mustaf has worked with SOS Children in Somalia since 1997 first as a Nursery teacher and then, from 2003, as the Nursery Principal.
Despite this good news, the overall situation in Mogadishu remains unstable. Yesterday, the President of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed proclaimed a state of emergency. He told a news conference in Mogadishu it was because of "intensifying violence across the country". Since 7 May, an alliance of militant Islamist hardliners, which controls much of southern Somalia and parts of the capital Mogadishu, has been locked in ferocious battles with pro-government forces. Last week alone, the security minister, Mogadishu's police chief and an MP were killed.
SOS Children's Villages Somalia and the regional office in Kenya are closely monitoring the situation and we will keep you updated.
Source: SOS Children's Villages, June 23, 3009