Medair can confirm the safe release of the four staff members who were kidnapped on May 22nd in Afghanistan.

The Medair team was abducted when visiting relief nutrition, hygiene and health project sites in Badakhshan province. The team consisted of British national Helen Johnston, age 28, Kenyan national Moragwa Oirere, age 26, and two local Afghan staff.

“Medair is relieved that our colleagues are safe. We are immensely grateful to all parties involved in ensuring their swift and safe return,” says Medair spokesperson, Aurélien Demaurex. The staff members are on their way to be reunited with their families. We ask the media to respect the need for the privacy of our employees and their families.

Medair would like to thank everyone for their encouragement and support during this very difficult period. We are also very grateful for the overwhelming messages of support from local Afghan communities.

Medair will provide more information on their release when possible through press releases on www.medair.org.

Medair has been providing relief to Afghanistan’s most isolated communities since 1996 and we are committed to continuing this work which will rely on us working safely within local communities, wherever they may be.