NAIROBI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of negotiating a ransom to secure the release of two Cuban doctors who were abducted by suspected al-Shabab fighters in northeast Kenya near the Somali border on April 12.
Monica Juma, cabinet secretary for foreign affairs, said the relevant government agencies are conducting an operation to rescue the doctors without paying any sum of money for their release.
"As a matter of government policy, we don't negotiate with terrorists, and we would not think of even having such a conversation on paying a ransom to criminals," Juma told journalists during a joint press conference in Nairobi with Federica Mogherini, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
"The government is however applying lawful methods to pursue the matter and ensure we secure the two doctors," she said.
Juma said the government is doing everything within its capacity to ensure a safe release of the medics, who were abducted in Mandera, a town near the border with Somalia.
"We have a multi-agency team who are working round the clock to see that we secure release of the kidnapped doctors," said Juma.
The two medics are among 100 Cuban specialists who arrived in the country in June 2018 under an arrangement between Kenyan and Cuban governments.
