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UN pays tribute to British and French staff killed in Somalia

French citizen Clément Gorrissen, 28, and Briton Simon Davis, 57, were shot and killed Monday in Somalia. The two men were international consultants for the UN Office on Drug and Crime. The UNODC executive director paid tribute to them Tuesday.

By JC Finley
The UN flag. (Makaristos)
The UN flag. (Makaristos)

NEW YORK, April 9 (UPI) -- The United Nations identified its two staff members who were killed Monday by unidentified gunmen at Galkayo airport in Puntland, Somalia, and paid tribute to them.

French citizen Clément Bernard Gorrissen, 28, and Briton Simon Davis, 57, were shot after disembarking from a flight from Hargeisa. The two men were international consultants for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

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Gorrissen first joined UNODC in 2010 and "had considerable knowledge of Somalia and had helped to develop and coordinate UNODC's activities in the Horn of Africa."

Davis, prior to joining UNODC, "had a long and distinguished career in the Metropolitan police force and specialized in tracking financial movements. ... Simon played an outstanding role in establishing a dialogue with the business community in Somalia as well as back home in the United Kingdom. Using his experience as a police officer, Simon also provided training in the Horn of Africa to law enforcement officials."

UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov described Gorrissen and Davis as "two of the finest examples of the many dedicated colleagues we are fortunate enough to have at UNODC. They were deeply committed to the United Nation's cause and its vision of delivering beneficial change to people and communities in a difficult and complex world."

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[United Nations]

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