Somalia - Somalia: Kidnapping

Kidnapping of whatever foreign-aid workers are left is on the rise. The good news here is that hostages are rarely harmed and often released quickly. The bad news is that more of them are being taken, as they make convenient political bargaining chips. On December 18, 1995, Italian aid worker Marco Lorenzetti was taken hostage by a gang loyal to Aidid. On December 26, Aidid ordered the man turned over to his own custody, after which he "arrested" and "deported" the Italian for entering Somalia without a valid visa issued by the "legitimate" government (Aidid's). By releasing the hostage, Aidid was seeking to be seen in a good light by the Italians. On March 23, 1996, an American aid worker was kidnapped but released the next day. On March 21, five U.N. workers were abducted from Balidogle airport by gunmen and rescued on the 22nd by a Somali militia that recognized them on a BBC broadcast.