This archive report was first published on 11 May 2020.
On May 10, 2020, Silvia Romano, an Italian aid worker, landed in Rome after being freed from captivity in Somalia. Romano was kidnapped in northern Kenya in November 2018 while working for the Italian charity Africa Milele.
According to Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Romano was found in Somalia, approximately 30km outside the capital of Mogadishu, and was released thanks to efforts by Italy's external intelligence agency.
Romano was greeted by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Di Maio upon her arrival at Rome's Ciampino Airport. She was escorted by masked men from the intelligence service and temporarily removed her protective mask to wave at relatives waiting for her at the airport.
Prime Minister Conte stated that the task force working to free Romano had been in the final stages of the operation for several months, after obtaining proof that she was still alive. He added that details of the operation were not revealed to avoid compromising the mission.
Italian newspapers reported that Italy's intelligence services worked with their Somali and Turkish counterparts to free Romano. Her father, Enzo, expressed his joy at her release, saying, 'I am literally bursting with joy at this moment. But it is hard even only to think, please let me breathe. I need to withstand the shock, happiness is so big that it is exploding.'
