Annan condemns NGO attack

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has expressed grief over last week’s ambush of an NGO vehicle in Burundi, in which the driver was killed. In a statement, Annan’s spokesman noted that the attack on a vehicle belonging to British NGO Children’s Aid Direct (CAD) near Bubanza came five weeks after six aid workers from MEMISA were taken hostage in Makamba province. The rebel Forces pour la defense de la democratie (FDD) kidnapped the six in territory it said was under its control. In Thursday’s incident in Bubanza province, three CAD aid workers were briefly taken hostage, but escaped as the Burundian army engaged their captives. “The Secretary-General urgently calls on all parties in Burundi to respect the neutrality of humanitarian workers, and to ensure their safety and security,” the statement said.