Aid Workers Flee Somalia as Ominous Threatening Leaflets Circulate

Humanitarian workers have reportedly started fleeing wartorn Somalia after ominous leaflets started circulating in Mogadishu, calling the aid workers “infidels” and warning that they will be hunted down systematically. Last Friday, at least 12 aid workers flew out of Mogadishu, and several more say they are contemplating leaving the country, scared by the leaflets. This comes at a time when drought, inflationary food prices and increasing clashes between the Ethiopian-backed interim government and militant rebels have left millions of Somalis dependent on relief. Attacks against aid workers have escalated in recent months, and at least 20 aid workers have been killed since January while 17 have been abducted. [PE]