This archive report was first published on 15 September 2019.
Published on September 15, 2019, efforts to rescue two Cuban doctors abducted by Al Shabaab militia in April 2018 are still ongoing. Dr. Landy Rodriguez and his colleague Dr. Assel Herrera Correa were serving in Mandera County when they were taken captive.
According to Government Spokesman Retired Colonel Cyrus Oguna, there are elaborate plans in place to save the doctors. He expressed the government's concern for the families and stated that they are doing everything possible to bring the doctors back alive.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki declined to comment on the matter, citing it as a security issue. Foreign Affairs Minister Monica Juma, however, ruled out any ransom negotiations with the abductors, stating that the government does not negotiate ransom as a matter of policy.
At the Mandera County Referral Hospital, where the doctors had served for a year, the area government has been forced to rely on consultant doctors to handle delicate specialized cases. Governor Ali Roba expressed the hospital's gratitude for the doctors' service and acknowledged the challenges they now face.
