1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Somalia

Two British teachers shot dead in Somaliland

Two British nationals working for an NGO in the self-declared republic of Somaliland were shot dead on Monday night by unidentified gunmen. The two bodies were found in their home on Tuesday morning, said Evelyn Winkler, project coordinator with SOS Kinderdorf International, which employed them. The house was located in the same compound as the Sheikh secondary school where they were working, in a town of the same name about 70 km from the port of Berbera. An investigation into the shootings had started on Tuesday, said Winkler, which was being supported by the president of Somaliland, Dahir Riale Kahin. The house had been sealed and the school, which opened in January 2003, was closed. Whether the couple was targeted, and what the motive was remained unclear, she said. "We cannot think of a motive right now. They were very well integrated into the community." She said she was unaware of any threats made to the couple or any antagonistic behaviour towards them from the local community. The secondary school where the couple worked as a school principal and a teacher also housed about 100 pupils. Just two weeks ago, a veteran aid worker in Somalia, Dr Annalena Tonelli, was also shot dead in Somaliland by unknown attackers. In June, Dr Tonelli won the UN refugee agency's highest honour, the Nansen Refugee Award, for her 33 years of work with Somalis. She started working with Somali refugees in Kenya and moved to Somalia in 1986.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join