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Top UN official condemns aid worker's murder

    NAIROBI

    The UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator has called on Somali faction leaders to ensure safety in the country after a veteran aid worker was shot dead in the self-declared republic of Somaliland on Sunday.

    In a statement, Jan Egeland expressed "shock and outrage" over the murder of 60-year-old Italian, Annalena Tonelli, outside a hospital she ran in Borama.

    "Her death underscores the dangerous circumstances in which aid workers bring assistance to people in need, and the bravery they exhibit in so doing,” he stated.

    ”Ms Tonelli dedicated her life to helping those in need, working under very difficult conditions, in an area of the world often forgotten by others,” he added.

    Tonelli, who received the UN 2003 Nansen Refugee Award for her work with refugees in Kenya and Somalia, ran a 200-bed hospital in Somaliland. She also set up clinics to fight tuberculosis and create awareness about HIV/AIDS and the harmful effects of female genital mutilation.

    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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