UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 15 July 2008 --There is renewed concern at the UN about the situation in Somalia after three more people lost their lives over the weekend. On Friday, two Somalis working for a Mogadishu-based aid organization there and a WFP transport agent died two days later in Buale, in the southern part of the country.

On Sunday, the transport agent was shot by militiamen after being caught in the crossfire in a local conflict. He was the fourth WFP driver who met his death in the country since the beginning of 2008. A number of others have been seized or hurt in strikes on humanitarian workers in recent months.

The WFP has also had to contend with attempts by militiamen at checkpoints to extort money from those transporting aid. The latest deaths only highlight the dangers faced by humanitarian personnel in Somalia and makes clear the obstacles to safe and timely delivery of add to the million who need it. 

This weekend’s killings come less than a week after the death of the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Somalia, Osman Ali Ahmed, who was attacked and shot to death in Mogadishu on 6 July while departing a mosque. Who was responsible remains unknown and his brother and son were hurt in the same incident.

The UN praised Mr. Ahmed’s service and commitment, extolling how as “[a] 14-year veteran of UNDP, Mr. Ahmed dedicated his life to the betterment of his country while working under very difficult circumstances during some of Somalia’s most turbulent times.”

The Secretary-General called his death, “a loss not only for the United Nations but also for the Somali people, who are the ultimate victims when humanitarian workers and aid officials are targeted in this way” and asked the country’s people “to reflect on this latest senseless act of violence and to work together in the search for peace and reconciliation.” Many other UN agencies and leaders joined in speaking against the attack and honoring Mr. Ahmed.

The recent elevated level of violence is particularly worrying because the WFP will require twice as much food for Somalia in the second half of 2008 and has 2.4 million people each month who rely on the agency for nourishment. Drought and the consequent elevation of the cost of food has rendered the situation quite critical. 

WFP Country Director Peter Goossens has urged all the main actors in Somalia to consider the affect of their actions and their continued attacks on aid personnel on millions of vulnerable men, women, and children. He emphasized that they would be at fault if food could not reach those who desperately required it.

As a result of the difficulties over the last months and the escalating conflict, the WFP has asked for naval escorts so that it will be able to safely bring in food and other humanitarian aid by ship.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden emphasized today that, “It is intolerable and incomprehensible that humanitarian workers striving to save lives and alleviate human suffering in one of the most difficult environments in the world are being targeted and killed.” He also expressed concern that “the general level of violence in large parts of Somalia has been constantly rising this year and has reached unacceptable levels of civilian casualties.”

Mr. Goossens offered many of the same sentiments, telling the international community, “We condemn these shootings, and are very concerned that growing insecurity threatens to sabotage the humanitarian response in Somalia.” We can only hope that it does not come to that.

- Caroline Patton

Labels: United Nations, U.N., MaximsNews

 

Advertisement

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MaximsNews® LLC   NEWS NETWORK FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

MaximsNews Network® LLC is a Global News Network that is read worldwide, in 201 countries and territories. It is associated with MediaChannel.org and Globalvision News Network, global news and media information services with more than 350 news affiliates in 135 countries. 

Established in 1999, MaximsNews now publishes in the six UN working languages: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.  

SEE:  About MaximsNews

The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MaximsNews® LLC.

REACH THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE  

SEE: Advertise with MaximsNews | MaximsNews MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS      

MaximsNews.com U.N. ® LLC  www.MaximsNews.com | MaximsNews@MaximsNews.com           | CONTACT MaximsNews  | Please contact us about Republishing: Syndication@MaximsNews.com ©Copyrights 1999 - 2008, MaximsNews® LLC. All rights reserved.