Fight over food in Somalia, seven reported to be killed
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA: On Friday morning at least seven Somali civilians were killed in the morning when people trying to take food clashed with government troops at the Badbaado refugee camp in Mogadishu, said a witness.
Several other people were wounded in the incident, which was sparked when food supplies were taken.
David Orr, a spokesman for the World Food Programme in east, central and southern Africa, said the organization was working to clarify what happened.
“This incident highlights the challenges that humanitarian agencies face in trying to deliver assistance in this difficult environment.”
The incident came a day after the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was ratcheting up emergency operations to help an additional 1.1 million people suffering from famine under drought and conflict.
The agency is asking donors for $87 million more to address the crisis.
The United Nations declared famine in three more regions of Somalia on Wednesday — the war-ravaged capital, Mogadishu, as well as the Ifgooye corridor and the Shabelle regions west of Mogadishu.
The human catastrophe was triggered by the worst drought in more than a half-century and compounded by decades of conflict, high inflation and increasing global food and fuel prices.
In all, about 12 million people in the Horn of Africa region need assistance. Somalia is the worst hit.
