Yesterday, 16 June 2009, around 4.00pm East African time, two men armed with pistols stopped a private vehicle carrying a driver and three passengers (two SOS co-workers and another person) from the SOS Children’s Village in Mogadishu to their homes. The two men asked Mrs Kaltun Mustaf Haji, the principal of the SOS Kindergarten, to get out of the car and took her with them in the car in which they were travelling. The other two passengers and the driver were unharmed.
The motive behind the abduction, the people responsible and the whereabouts of Kaltun Mustaf Haji remain unknown and no formal claim of responsibility has been made so far.
Mrs Kaltun Mustaf has been working with SOS Children’s Villages Somalia since 1997 first as a kindergarten teacher and then, from 2003, as the kindergarten principal.
SOS Children's Villages Somalia is closely working with the family, elders and leaders in Mogadishu for Mrs. Kaltun’s safe release.
Report from 18 June 2009
SOS Children's Villages Somalia is still working around the clock to get any information about the whereabouts of Kaltun Mustaf Haji who has been kidnapped two days ago.
The entire situation in Mogadishu is again very tense and due to current heavy fighting going on in many parts of Mogadishu both the movement and communication within the town are heavily restricted. The SOS staff is unable to get in touch with the leaders of the different groups in the town. "Let us pray and hope something good will come out before the end of the day", said Ahmed Ibrahim, director of SOS Children's Villages in Somalia.