Somali Ex-Workers Hold U.N. Staff Captive
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MOGADISHU, Somalia — Up to 30 armed Somalis formerly employed by the United Nations seized about 15 foreign U.N. staff members in Mogadishu Saturday and held them hostage demanding payment.
Negotiations were under way to end the blockade at the Southern Compound, a cluster of buildings near the port that is used by international U.N. staff, said Maj. Zubair Chattha, a spokesman for the peacekeeping force in Somalia.
The former workers claimed they were owed overtime pay.
The United Nations has laid off about 600 of 2,500 Somali employees and is preparing to lay off many others as it prepares to withdraw from the country by the end of March.
Rival clans battled anew in the capital Saturday, but no casualties were reported.
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