NAIROBI, 6 Oct 2003 (IRIN) - A veteran aid worker was shot dead in the self-declared republic of Somaliland on Sunday by unknown attackers, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) announced on Monday.

It expressed “shock and sadness” over the murder of Dr Annalena Tonelli, a 33-year veteran of assistance to poor people in Africa, who earlier this year won the agency’s highest award for her work in bringing attention to the crisis in Somalia.

Sixty-year old Dr Tonelli, an Italian, was shot in the grounds of a hospital in Borama. "The exact circumstances of the shooting are not yet known," UNHCR said in a statement.

“All of us at UNHCR are devastated by Dr Tonelli's death,” High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers said. “She dedicated her life to helping others, carrying out her noble mission in remote, difficult places little noticed by the outside world."

In June, Dr Tonelli won UNHCR’s highest honour, the Nansen Refugee Award, for her 33 years of work with Somalis. She started working with Somali refugees in Kenya and moved to Somalia in 1986.