NEWS ARCHIVE

-TOP UN OFFICAL CONDEMNS AID WORKER'S MURDER

NAIROBI, 8 October (IRIN) -

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 Item is Delivered to the English Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: Irin@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by
commercial sites requires written IRIN permission.