The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has welcomed the release of its staff that were kidnapped by armed rebels in southeastern Ethiopia's Somali regional state last week. The men, it added, were freed unharmed.
Irishman Donal O'Suilleabhain and Ethiopian Hadis Ahmed Sematar were released on Saturday, five days after they were kidnapped. They were handed over to an ICRC team north of Gode, about 1,100 km southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the ICRC said.
"They are in good health ... they have contacted their families," Patrick Megevand, spokesperson for the ICRC, said, adding that they had been released without any conditions.
The kidnappings prompted the ICRC to suspend operations for the first time in 11 years in Ethiopia's Somali state, the biggest region of Ethiopia bordering Somalia and mainly inhabited by Somalis.
"Our activities remain suspended until further notice, we are now looking at the situation," Megevand said. ICRC activities include water projects, economic and social support and veterinary services to local communities and displaced people.
On Friday, the rebel United Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF) claimed to have abducted the two humanitarian workers and announced it would release the pair within 48 hours after realising they were aid workers and not employed by oil companies.
"The ICRC welcomes the unconditional release of its two staff members by the UWSLF, and their recognition that the ICRC is engaged in purely humanitarian activities in Ethiopia's Somali regional state," the ICRC said.
The group, created in 1963, which claims to be fighting for the rights of ethnic Somalis in western Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, warned foreign energy firms against operating in the Somali region in a statement released in Mogadishu on Friday.
"Any organisation that attempts to explore for oil without permission from the people on the ground will be responsible for all the risks involved," said the statement signed by UWSLF spokesman Abdullahi Osman Gashan.
Another rebel group active in Somali region, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, last April warned foreign oil companies against working in this region, which the rebels claim to own. The Ethiopian government has repeatedly dismissed the threats, looking for foreign companies to invest in these gas fields.
Two Indian companies, Gail India Limited and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited, were among the firms that have expressed an interest in exploring and developing Ogaden's Calub and Hilala gas fields.
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Irishman Donal O'Suilleabhain and Ethiopian Hadis Ahmed Sematar were released on Saturday, five days after they were kidnapped. They were handed over to an ICRC team north of Gode, about 1,100 km southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the ICRC said.
"They are in good health ... they have contacted their families," Patrick Megevand, spokesperson for the ICRC, said, adding that they had been released without any conditions.
The kidnappings prompted the ICRC to suspend operations for the first time in 11 years in Ethiopia's Somali state, the biggest region of Ethiopia bordering Somalia and mainly inhabited by Somalis.
"Our activities remain suspended until further notice, we are now looking at the situation," Megevand said. ICRC activities include water projects, economic and social support and veterinary services to local communities and displaced people.
On Friday, the rebel United Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF) claimed to have abducted the two humanitarian workers and announced it would release the pair within 48 hours after realising they were aid workers and not employed by oil companies.
"The ICRC welcomes the unconditional release of its two staff members by the UWSLF, and their recognition that the ICRC is engaged in purely humanitarian activities in Ethiopia's Somali regional state," the ICRC said.
The group, created in 1963, which claims to be fighting for the rights of ethnic Somalis in western Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, warned foreign energy firms against operating in the Somali region in a statement released in Mogadishu on Friday.
"Any organisation that attempts to explore for oil without permission from the people on the ground will be responsible for all the risks involved," said the statement signed by UWSLF spokesman Abdullahi Osman Gashan.
Another rebel group active in Somali region, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, last April warned foreign oil companies against working in this region, which the rebels claim to own. The Ethiopian government has repeatedly dismissed the threats, looking for foreign companies to invest in these gas fields.
Two Indian companies, Gail India Limited and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited, were among the firms that have expressed an interest in exploring and developing Ogaden's Calub and Hilala gas fields.
eo/mw
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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