Kenyan doctor held by Al-Shabaab appeals to UN, President Ruto for release

A Kenyan doctor Ambrose Kimiti who was part of a United Nations (UN) medical evacuation team operating in Somalia, has released a video message appealing to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Kenyan President William Ruto, and the people of Kenya, saying he and members of his team have been held by Al-Shabaab for more than a year and a half.

In the video, Kimiti said the helicopter carrying the medical evacuation team crashed on January 10, 2024, after making an emergency landing in territory controlled by Al-Shabaab while on an official humanitarian mission.

He stated that despite efforts to contact the United Nations following the crash, no official assistance or dialogue was initiated to secure their release.

“We believed we were serving a humanitarian cause, but the United Nations has failed to work toward securing our freedom,” Kimiti said in the message.

He urged UN Secretary-General Guterres to intervene immediately, stressing that the UN has a responsibility to protect staff and contractors who are abducted while carrying out official duties under its mandate.

Kimiti also appealed to President William Ruto to use his influence to help secure their release and called on the Kenyan public to support efforts aimed at freeing the captives.

So far, neither the United Nations nor the Kenyan government has issued an official response to the appeal.

The message follows a similar appeal released recently by a Ukrainian pilot who was also captured after a UN-contracted aircraft made a forced landing in Al-Shabaab-controlled territory. The pilot had called on both the UN and the Ukrainian government to open negotiations to secure the release of the remaining crew members.