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The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged authorities in Somalia to bring to justice the people who on Monday killed a UN security officer in the port city of Kismayo, 500 km south of the capital Mogadishu.
Mohamuud Muse Gurage, a Somali national, was walking toward his house from the UN offices when unidentified assailants shot him dead.
"The Secretary-General is saddened to learn that a UN security officer, Mohamuud Musse Gurage, was killed by gunmen on Monday night in the Lower Juba region of Somalia," said a statement issued by Annan's spokesman.
"The brutal murder of Mr. Gurage underscores the difficult security situation the United Nations faces as it attempts to assist the people of Somalia," the statement said.
He called on the authorities in Kismayo "to do their utmost to bring to justice the perpetrators of this terrible crime".
It was not immediately clear why Gurage was killed. The Juba Valley Alliance, a faction that controls the area, was reportedly investigating the incident.
"They [the Alliance] have mounted security sweeps around the town today [Tuesday]looking for the individuals who committed the crime," a business source in Kismayo told IRIN.
"They are very angry that this happened at a time when they were trying to convince the UN and other aid agencies to come back into Kismayo," he added.
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
