2 French Advisers Kidnapped In Somalia

The Foreign Ministry did not identify the two men or specify which branch of the French government had dispatched them to Somalia. But it said in an announcement that they were in Mogadishu on "an official mission" to assist the Western-backed government of President Sharif Ahmed in "security matters."

A senior official in Ahmed’s government told Agence France-Presse, the main French news agency, that the two men had arrived in Mogadishu nine days ago, invited by the Somali Defense Ministry to train "their counterparts in Somali intelligence agencies."

The men were staying at the Sahafi Hotel International, which over the years has gained a reputation as headquarters for foreign correspondents covering the violence that has ripped Somalia apart for two decades. In recent times, however, few Western journalists have ventured into Mogadishu, where the official police and army are weak, heavily armed factions often rule the streets and kidnapping is a constant danger.

Source: AHU – David A-O