UN condemns continuing detention of staff member

The United Nations has condemned the continuing detention of an abducted UN national project staff member and demanded his immediate, and unconditional release, a press statement from UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator's Office for Somalia said on 9 August.

Abdulkadir Mohamed Abikar, the Officer-In-Charge of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU) office in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, was abducted on Monday morning, while on his way to work.

The statement quotes Maxwell Gaylard, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and Designated Official for UN Security in Somalia, as saying: "This is a further criminal act against staff of the United Nations in Somalia, whose fundamental mandate is to do all that they can to support the Somali people."

Gaylard called for a renewal of respect for the UN flag and all that it stands for in the promotion of peace and development, and for full protection and immunity of UN staff carrying out their duties, said the statement.

Abikar is the third UN staff member to be abducted in Mogadishu since the beginning of this year. Ahmad Ma'alin Muhammad, better known as Dishapilin, of the UN Children's Programme was abducted by gunmen in Medina district on 28 February and released after four days later. Prof Muhammad Ali Abukar of UN Development Programme was abducted on 28 April in the same area, and eventually released on 25 May.