UN agency welcomes safe return of two missing staff in Ethiopia

WFP food convoy

30 June 2011 – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed today that two Ethiopian staff members who went missing after a deadly incident in mid-May have been safely recovered. “WFP confirms that the staff members have been brought to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where they are receiving medical treatment and stress counseling and being reunited with their families,” the Rome-based agency said in a press statement.
The two staff members went missing on 13 May after the convoy in which they travelling on a monitoring mission in Ethiopia’s Somali region was attacked by assailants.
One member of the convoy, the driver Farhan Hamsa, was killed in the attack, and another staff member was injured.
WFP said it had worked closely with national and regional authorities to ensure the safe return of the two staff members.
“This incident underscores the need to ensure the safety and security of UN staff,” the statement stressed.