Five UN employees kidnapped in southern Yemen: UN spokesperson
Five UN employees kidnapped in southern Yemen: UN spokesperson
The five staff members were travelling in a car bound for Aden in southern Yemen when they were kidnapped, the UN confirmed
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The three men kidnapped work for the UN office for security and safety in Aden [Khaled Fazaa/AFP via Getty]
Five United Nations employees were kidnapped on Friday evening by unidentified gunmen in the southern Yemen province of Abyan, the UN confirmed to The New Arab on Saturday.
Russell Geekie, the senior communications advisor to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, said the staff members were on their way back to the southern coastal city of Aden after having completed a field mission.
He added that the UN was in close contact with the authorities to secure their release.
Aden is the seat of the interim government backed by Saudi Arabia.
Earlier on Saturday, a local security official told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency that three employees were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Abyan.
The gunmen kidnapped Akem Sofiol, who is director for the UN office for security and safety in Aden, as well as office general coordinator Mohamed al-Maliki and security coordinator Mazen Bawazeer, Anadolu had reported, citing Adel al-Awsji, head of security in the Lawdar area of Abyan.
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