Aid to refugee camp cut after kidnap of workers

Support services to nearly half a million people living in the world's largest refugee camp near the Kenya-Somalia border were scaled back yesterday following the abduction of two Spanish aid workers this week.

United Nations agencies and charities including Oxfam stopped "all non-lifesaving" aid operations to the 460,000 Somali refugees at the Dadaab camp after two female employees of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) were seized by gunmen, who shot and injured their driver on Thursday.

MSF itself announced last night that it was withdrawing all foreign staff from Dadaab.

Kenyan police said they believe the gunmen would try to cross into Somalia with the women.