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UN staff member freed

    NAIROBI

    A national officer working for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, was released on Monday night after he was kidnapped by gunmen last week, a UN official confirmed to IRIN.

    "We are very happy he is out," Gianfranco Rotigliano, the UNICEF-Somalia representative, said. "The whole UN team worked to get him released."

    Ahmad Ma'alin Muhammad, better known as 'Dishapilin', was kidnapped by four armed men in Medina, southwest Mogadishu, while he was walking to his office on 28 February. He was released "at around 8:00 p.m. [1700 GMT] last night", a humanitarian source in Mogadishu told IRIN on Tuesday.

    According to the source, the kidnappers had demanded an unspecified ransom. However, pressure was put on their clans to make sure they released their captive unconditionally. "The TNG [Transitional National Government] definitely pressured the clans involved to get their boys to release the man," the source added.

    Ahmad was released unharmed after four days in captivity. "I spoke with him this morning and he is fine and in good humour," Rotigliano said.

    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

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