Somali gunmen release 2 aid workers

The Toronto Star
April 22, 2009

Two European aid workers were released by gunmen who held them captive for nearly 10 days in southwestern Somalia. Rab Dhure District Commissioner Sheik Mohamed Kheyr told the press that elders and an extremist Islamic group assisted the release of the Belgian and Dutch "Doctors without Borders" employees. The 49 year-old Dutch aid worker with Doctors Without Borders said that he and his 40-year-old Belgian partner were given food and water by the people after their harsh experience in captivity. The two gunmen had kidnapped the aid workers on April 19 as they travelled through Rab Dhure, in Somalia. District Commissionser Kheyr said that elders and area residents had pressed for their release, protesting that the two aid workers were helping the people of Southwestern Somalia. Sheik Aden Yare, an influential clan leader, was one of the main figures who negotiated with the captors, asking for the release of the aid workers. Keus and Stassijns, the two aid workers, said that they were being transported to another town where they were to board a plane at the time of their captivity, declining to discuss their captivity in detail until they are out of Somalia. There were 25 masked gunmen who took the aid workers hostage during their journey through Somalia. The men were armed and had cloth wrapped around their lower faces. They were said to be vicious and violent with the aid workers. Although the two aid workers were released, sixteen workers still remain in captivity in Somalia, according to the UN. The capture of aid workers has long been a common problem in Somalia, often with demands for ransom.

I believe that this kidnapping is a disappointing reminder of how desperate men can become when fighting for the righteousness of their own religious or political values. In such desperation, men turn to desperate means for survival with no consideration for their fellow man. The two captured Officials of the Belgian chapter of Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins sans frontières, say the group has operated medical aid projects in Somalia since 1991, but has never had problems with its staff's safety. The group "Doctors Without Borders" has a long tradition of selfless humanitarian service around the world, and has even won accolades such as the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1999/press.html) Their most recent work in Somalia comes in the form of tuberculosis and malnutrition aid projects. The Somalian campaign is but one of many humanitarian campaigns on the continent of Africa. I believe that the capture of these aid workers is completely unnecessary and does not truly aid the cause of these rebels. The workers are simply trying to help the people in Somalia, and trying to assist the underprivileged and sick citizens of the country. There is absolutely no reason for the gunmen to kidnap these foreign aid workers, as it simply worsens the plight of the Somalian citizens and turns the world against the rebel's cause. These rebels, however, have lost all self-respect or respect for international law, and will do anything to bring their cause to the attention of the world. This incident, however, in my opinion, will certainly not aid them in their ultimate struggles, but will mark them as petty criminals who choose to victimize the most noble and selfless of organizations - MSF. This situation is one that has been repeated throughout history during times of great political and economic unrest. If we look back on the history of such nations as Nigeria, we see the armed conflict based on race, religion, money and power that divided so many and resulted in untold deaths. It is truly the desperation of the common man that leads him to acts such as hostage taking to inform the world of their desperate situation. This can also relate to the recent conflicts in Sri Lanka, where a terrorist organization, the LTTE, have resorted to desperate measures in order to gain their own state in a country where they feel oppressed and discriminated against. The world seems to repeatedly make this same mistake and one can only hope that the power of nonviolent protest as exemplified by Gandhi's movement in India, prior to independence, can once again rise as an example for us all.