Four U.N. aid workers kidnapped

According to reports published on 16 March 2009, four U.N. aid workers were kidnapped near the southern Somali town of Wajid as they were leaving Somalia for Kenya. Two of the four victims were reportedly Western nationals, but officials did not disclose the nationality of the two Westerners for fear of compromising their safety. The area where the four were abducted is under the control of the insurgent group Al Shabaab, but no claim of responsibility has been issued for the kidnappings.