Somali security forces are searching for five aid workers who were kidnapped by gunmen in the south-west of the country.
Reports indicate that the aid workers were abducted on the outskirts of Baidoa, which lies some 250 kilometers southwest of the capital Mogadishu.
They were on a humanitarian mission in the remote village of Busley, where they were distributing nutritional supplements to displaced persons at a local camp.
Somalia’s information minister in the southwest region Hassan Abdi Mohamed confirmed the kidnappings, but did not give further details of the incident.
“We cannot disclose any information on that matter for now but we can confirm that some people were abducted. The same scenario happened in Mogadishu earlier this year when a foreign humanitarian aid worker was kidnapped – Al-Shabaab can be responsible but we cannot confirm,” he said.
Bay and Bakool regions where the kidnappings have occurred is one of several areas where U.N and several international aid agencies have been delivering aid to people facing starvation.
The region has been the worst affected due to a recurrent drought that has claimed thousands of lives.
