20 June 2013
State-owned defence technology company Denel says arrangements have been made to repatriate the bodies of the two South Africans who lost their lives in a bomb attack on a United Nations compound in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday.
The two, who have yet to be identified, belonged to the African Union Mission for Somalia (Amisom) and were among the 15 people who were killed in the attack. An unconfirmed number were wounded. No Denel employee is reported to be among the injured.
In a statement, Denel said the two belonged to a contingent of personnel from the company’s humanitarian demining operations, Mechem, and were providing camp management services to the UN operations in the region, which included the management and provision of catering, cleaning and logistical support as well as mine protected vehicles in the region.
Denel said it would only release the identities of the deceased after their next of kin had been informed.
Chief executive of Denel, Riaz Saloojee, has expressed deep sadness at the loss of lives, saying the company will do everything in its power to provide emotional support to the families of the deceased.
“This is a very unfortunate incident, but Denel will continue to support all peace-keeping efforts carried out under the auspices of the United Nations and the African Union. In this instance our employees lost their lives while they were providing services to the UN’s peacekeeping efforts in the region,” Saloojee said.
The remaining employees of Denel in Somalia have been moved to facilities under the protection of the United Nations Office for Project Services, where they are reported to be safe.
Denel said it will provide support to local and international agencies that have already started to investigate the incident. “Investigations into the incident are continuing and we will inform South Africans as information becomes available,” Saloojee said.
Al-Qaida linked Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia have claimed responsibility for the raid, saying they used a car bomb and suicide attackers to blast their way into the fortified base in central Mogadishu near the airport.
It is the first major assault targeting the UN since its agencies started relocating to Mogadishu after a 20-year absence.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
