Thursday, February 19, 2009
The two nuns were abducted by armed men on November 10 in the northern Kenya district of Mandera. The hostages were believed to have been taken across the border into Somalia.
The neighbouring region of southern Somalia has been controlled by Islamist fighters allied to local militia.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressed his "satisfaction following the freeing of the two sisters."
"I followed this matter closely," he said, according to ANSA news agency. "The two sisters are doing well and are in our embassy in Nairobi."
The Vatican had expressed concern about the nuns -- Caterina Giraudo, 67, and Maria Teresa Oliviero, 61 -- following their kidnapping. The two had lived in Kenya for years.
Armed Somali gangs have carried out scores of kidnappings in recent months, often targeting either foreigners or Somalis working with international organisations to demand ransoms.
In November, a Somali national was charged in a Nairobi court with kidnapping the two nuns. Abdikadir Mohammed Omar faced charges of kidnapping and robbery with violence.
Source: AFP, Feb 19, 2009