The United States has strongly condemned the killing of
two employees of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in
Somalia’s Puntland region on Monday, and urged authorities there to bring those
responsible to justice as soon as possible.
A British man shot dead while
working for the UN in Somalia was a former Scotland Yard detective who launched
a new career tracking illegal payments financing terrorism.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones
of those killed in the attack. The United States urges the relevant authorities
to fully investigate this crime and to bring the perpetrators to justice
without delay,” read a statement issued by US State Department spokesperson Jen
Psaki late on Monday.
“We reiterate our appreciation to all United Nations staff in
Somalia for their continued dedication under difficult circumstances. The
United States and the United Nations remain determined to support the people
and the Federal Government of Somalia in their efforts to strengthen peace,
security, and the rule of law,” the statement added.
Simon Davis, of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, was hired by the
United Nations to meet with Somali businesses and government officials to
discuss ways to make sure al-Qaeda was not using money transfer systems to fund
attacks. He and a French colleague were attacked soon after they landed
on Monday morning in Galkayo, the town in central Somalia closest to the
country’s pirate strongholds.
At least two men, one in a
Somali police officer’s uniform, opened fire with an AK-47 as Mr Davis and his
colleague, Clement Gorrissen, waited to for their visas to be stamped inside
the airport’s immigration building.
Both men died within minutes. Their bodies were due to be flown to Nairobi,
capital of neighbouring Kenya, on Tuesday night before being repatriated.
The United Nations has on
Tuesday airlifted the bodies of two of its officials who were shot dead at the
Galkayo airport yesterday. The United Nations deputy representative to
Somalia Philippe Lazzarini told the media at Galkayo airport that it was a very
shocking experience for the world body to learn the assassination of its
officials urging the government of Puntland to do its utmost to bring the
perpetrators to justice.
“The cooperation between
Puntland and the UN agencies will continue and we hope that such brutal killing
will not stop both sides from cooperating” Lazzarini told the
media at the airport, but accentuated that the culprits must not escape from
punishment.
The two senior UN officials
also called on the authorities to immediately conduct a full investigation and
bring the perpetrators to justice without delay
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