Fourteen Humanitarian Workers Kidnapped In Eastern Congo

Fourteen humanitarian workers have been kidnapped in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest in a spate of hostage-takings in the region, the United Nations and local activists said on Monday.

Eastern Congo was ravaged by two wars between 1996 and 2003 that killed millions of people, most dying from hunger and disease, and the region remains plagued by dozens of armed groups who compete over reserves of gold, tin and tantalum.

The employees of a Congolese non-governmental organization were abducted on Sunday in the Rutshuru region in North Kivu province, the U.N. mission in Congo's humanitarian coordinator, Mamadou Diallo, said in a statement.

"This kidnapping confirms the fragile security situation in which the various humanitarian organizations work and whose victims are the local population." I call for the liberation of these humanitarian workers," Diallo said.

Diallo did not say what organization the workers belonged to or who is believed to be responsible for the attack. We pray they would be released soon.