Four Unicef staff members were killed and a further five were injured yesterday when the vehicle they were travelling in was bombed in north-eastern Somalia.

Somali-based terrorist organisation al-Shabaab have reportedly taken responsibility for the attack which killed six people and wounded a further nine in the city of Garowe on Monday morning. 

Anthony Lake, the chief executive of Unicef, condemned the attack and called those who had been killed and wounded “heroes”.

“Our immediate thoughts are with the families of the four staff members who were killed and with those who were injured,” he said. “All of us at Unicef are deeply saddened, and deeply angered.

“Our colleagues dedicated their lives to working for the children of Somalia. They are not victims. They and those who were wounded are heroes. We mourn their loss and hope for the full recovery of the injured.”

Lake also said that the organisation’s continued work with children in the region would be a “fitting tribute to those we have lost”.

Nicholas Kay, the UN special representative to Somalia, also gave a statement offering his “deepest sympathies” to the staff member’s friends and family.

“Our UN colleagues are saddened but unified in the face of this tragedy. The United Nations remains determined to stand by the people of Somalia.

“My deepest sympathies and thoughts are with the friends and families of all those who lost their lives, and those injured and affected.”

Unicef UK have today released the names of the four staffers killed in the attack. They are given as: Woki Munyui, who had worked with Unicef since 2007; Stephen Oduor who joined in 2010; as well as Payenda Gul Abed and Brenda Kyeyune who both joined the organisation in 2014. It has not released their nationalities.