ICRC News Release No. 09/226
N'Djamena/Geneva (ICRC) – An expatriate staff member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was abducted by several armed men last night in the village of Kawa, in eastern Chad, near the border with Sudan.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. local time. The staff member, Laurent Maurice, an agronomist, was in the area to evaluate the most recent harvest. He was spending the night in Kawa, where the ICRC is supporting a primary health-care centre, with five of his Chadian colleagues.
The ICRC currently has no indication of who the abductors might be or of their motives. It is in contact with the authorities and other parties with the aim of resolving the situation as swiftly as possible.
Mr Maurice's family was informed of the incident immediately. The ICRC's activities in eastern Chad have been suspended temporarily.
The ICRC is calling for the rapid and unconditional release of its kidnapped staff member.
For further information, please contact:
Elisa Tamburini, ICRC Abeche, tel: +235 669 90 85
Anna Schaaf, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17
or visit our website: www.icrc.org
