Kinshasa – A UN official said on Tuesday in Kinshasa, that the three Congolese employees of charity “Save the Children’’ who were kidnapped in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week, have been released.
A statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Congo said without providing further details that “Glad to know that three Save the Children staff released, we remained concerned about insecurity.
A report noted that the kidnappings on March 2 by unknown assailants renewed concerns about security in North Kivu province.
It noted that Rwanda and Uganda remained home to dozens of armed groups that exploit natural resources and prey on the civilian population.
It said latest Human Rights Watch data showed that not less than 175 people were kidnapped for ransom in eastern Congo last year.
The report also said further that many kidnappings appeared to be carried out by former and current members of armed groups.
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Congo is heavily dependent on aid from non-governmental organisations and UN agencies, but humanitarians have been forced to scale back their activities in recent months due to the kidnapping threat.
Meanwhile, Save the Children declined to comment immediately on OCHA’s announcement. (Reuters/NAN)