Italian aid worker abducted in Mindanao
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) Andrea Cianferoni, director of the humanitarian aid programme of Movimondo, an Italian NGO dedicated to international assistance and development, was abducted near Kauswagan, a town 810 km from Manila in Lanao del Norte province (Mindanao Island).
The 29-year-old man from Florence was taken from his Land Rover which was found abandoned in a nearby village. He was travelling with two Filipino agricultural scientists when they were stopped at 1:30 am (5:30 pm GMT) by four masked armed men. The two Filipino men were released immediately whilst the Italian was taken away with the car. Local law enforcement believe that extortion is the most likely motive. The kidnappers have indeed asked for a US$ 5,000 ransom.
Mr Cianferoni's relatives are anxious. "I don't know what to think," his mother said. "I am shaking like a leaf." She said that the Italian Foreign Ministry reached her and her husband around noon to tell them the news "just as we were arriving home".
"My son," she explained, "had been working in the Philippines for the past two and half years for Movimondo. He was doing fine and had no problems. He has a good rapport with locals."
She added that "he had completed the project which brought him to the country. He had stayed because they asked to work on another project for another year".
Movimondo has been operating for the past 30 years in 20 of the poorest countries in the world. It has been present in the Philippines for the past five years. Its mandate is international cooperation and solidarity.
philippines italy abductions violence poverty economy kidnappings extortion
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