UN suspends food aid to one million in Somalia

The United Nations World Food Program said Tuesday it was stopping aid distribution to about one million people in southern Somalia because of ”unacceptable” demands and threats by armed groups.

The World Food Program (WFP) cited “rising threats and attacks on humanitarian operations”, as well as “a string of unacceptable demands from armed groups” as the reasons behind the suspension.

According to WFP spokesman Peter Smerdon, those demands included removing women from all posts and a payment of over USD 20,000 every six months for security protection.

Smerdon said the Al-Shabab fighters — who control 95 percent of southern Somalia — later demanded that WFP and its contractors cease all their activities in the south of the war-torn country on January 1.

WFP took that deadline seriously.

“Staff safety is a key concern for WFP and recent attacks, threats, harassment and demands for payments by armed groups have decimated the humanitarian food lifeline,” a statement by the food agency read.

Despite the suspension, the UN organization will however remain active in much of central and northern Somalia, including the capital Mogadishu, WFP said.

Some analysts estimate that close to half of Somalia’s 10 million inhabitants are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Mired by almost two decades of civil strife following the ouster of former dictator Mohammad Siad Bare in 1991, Somalia has been considered as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of thousands of civilians since the start of 2007 and driven over 1.5 million from their homes.