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News – Africa: Nuns ‘abducted’ by suspected Somali bandits

WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.

Original Post Date: 2008-11-11 Time: 09:00:10  Posted By: Jan

Nairobi – Suspected Somali bandits abducted two Italian Roman Catholic nuns from the north of Kenya yesterday, near the border with war-torn Somalia, officials and residents said.

The armed men attacked the town of Elwak in the Mandera district early in the day and made off with two vehicles as well.

“The nuns were abducted from their residence in the town,” the Kenya Red Cross Society said in a statement.

The nuns – members of the Little Sisters of Jesus order – were identified as Caterina Giraudo, 67, and Maria Teresa Oliviero, 61, both natives of the northern Italian province of Cueno.

Somali elders said they were seized by a gang that crossed the frontier from Somalia’s Gedo region, which is largely controlled by militants battling the transitional federal government.

“We don’t know who their kidnappers are, but the information we are getting indicates that two white nuns have been kidnapped from Elwak and the militias crossed into Gedo region,” Mohamed Ali Yusuf said.

“The gunmen forced them into a car and drove them away, and nobody knows their whereabouts,” Hussein Dhegey, a local resident, added.

The Italian foreign ministry confirmed the nun’s Italian nationality, while Roman Catholic news agency Misna said they had been in Kenya for years, with Giraudo a nurse working with epileptics.

Kenyan security forces who were pursuing the kidnappers confirmed they had crossed the border into Somalia. “We have deployed security forces who are currently pursuing them,” a top police official said.

“So far, no progress has been made because it appears they have already crossed the border to the other side. We are collaborating with village elders on the other side to negotiate” with the bandits.

El Wak is one of the several frontier hot spots where two rival Somali clans have been fighting for years over access to water and pasture, prompting the government to launch a crackdown.

Armed Somali gangs have carried out scores of kidnappings in recent months, often targeting either foreigners or Somalis working with international organisations to demand ransoms.

  • The European Union on Monday formally launched an anti-piracy security operation off the coast of Somalia – its first naval mission – the EU’s French presidency said.

    The mission, dubbed Operation Atalanta, was endorsed by the bloc’s defence ministers at talks in Brussels. EU ships will also help protect UN and other vulnerable vessels seeking to transport aid into strife-torn Somalia.

    The so-called Eunavor operation will be made up of at least seven ships, including three frigates and a supply vessel. It will also be backed by surveillance aircraft. –

    Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20081111053051248C603551