Barcelona and Madrid, 19 July 19 2013 – Montserrat Serra and Blanca Thiebaut, the two Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aid workers released yesterday in Somalia after 21 months in captivity, will arrive today at the Spanish air-base of Torrejón (Madrid) from Djibouti. MSF is extremely relieved to confirm the release of its two colleagues, who were abducted from the refugee camps near Dadaab, Kenya on 13 October 2011 and held in Somalia. The organisation continues to offer full support to Mone and Blanca as well as to their families.

Mone and Blanca need some time to adjust to their freedom and the organisation asks the media and the public to respect theirs and their families’ need for privacy.

“Once again, MSF strongly condemns the attack against these humanitarian aid workers who were providing medical assistance to the most vulnerable Somali population fleeing hunger and war in their country,” declared Jose Antonio Bastos, President of MSF in Spain.

MSF would like to thank everyone for the support and solidarity shown to the families of Mone and Blanca. . The organisation is also grateful to the media for their understanding regarding the sensitive nature of communicating on the abduction and for the consideration they have shown towards our colleagues’ families. We ask the public and the media to continue to show the same consideration now that our colleagues are free.