Tuesday, January 20, 2015

U.N. Worker Released in Central African Republic
European Union troops occupying the Central African Republic.
Official Said an Anti-Balaka Christian Militia Had Taken Employee
Updated Jan. 20, 2015 1:38 p.m. ET
Wall Street Journal

The United Nations says a female staffer who was kidnapped in Central African Republic has been released.

The U.N. mission in Central African Republic made the statement on its Twitter feed Tuesday.

A U.N. official earlier Tuesday said a Kurdish female staffer had been kidnapped. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press, said a Ugandan colleague who escaped told them the staffer was kidnapped by anti-Balaka Christian militia members.

More details about her release were not immediately available.

This was the third kidnapping in two days. On Monday, two people, including a local and a French humanitarian worker, were kidnapped in Central African Republic.

The kidnappings by the Anti-Balaka came after the arrest on Saturday of their widely feared commander, Rodrigue Ngaibona. Anti-Balaka means “anti-machete” or “anti-sword” in the local languages.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims in the country over the past year.

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