"Kidnapping is part of the reality of our work in Somalia," he told reporters last week. Only local staff work there permanently now "in much more dangerous circumstances," while foreign aid-workers are based in Nairobi and visit when the situation allows. "Sometimes several times, sometimes only once a month. The context is very dangerous. The only thing we can do is limit the risks as much as possible," he said.
Stassijns and his colleague were not harmed during the kidnapping, but he declined to describe the ten days they then spent as prisoners of the gang. "The most important thing is to point out that local communities played a major role in our release. That shows the respect they have for our work and for our neutrality. Because AzG has been permanently active since 1991, we've been able to build up an extensive network, from local parents to businessmen in the telecoms sector. We work together with Kenyan Somalis from the border region who know the local culture. They were and remain extremely important in any negotiation."