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Somalia: 'Insecurity threatening WFP's mission' Wed. July 16, 2008 04:56 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. - (SomaliNet) After gunmen killed a transport agent working for the World Food Programme in Somalia, where millions of people are on the brink of starvation, the United Nations on Tuesday issued fresh protests. The aid worker, who was shot in southern Somalia on Sunday, was the fifth WFP-contracted worker to be killed in 2008 in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation. The man’s death brings to at least 12 the number of aid workers slain in Somalia in 2008 in what witnesses and colleagues describe as pre-meditated attacks. Some have been kidnapped and disappeared altogether in recent years. "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," said Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian envoy to Somalia. "It is also very worrying that the general level of violence in large parts of Somalia has been constantly rising in 2008 and has reached unacceptable levels of civilian casualties," he added in a statement. WFP representative to Somalia, Peter Goossens, condemned the latest killing, which occurred when militiamen opened fire after a local dispute in the southern town of Buale. "We condemn these shootings, and are very concerned that growing insecurity threatens to sabotage the humanitarian response in Somalia," Goossens added. The food agency lamented that militiamen were demanding payment from WFP trucks carrying supplies at checkpoints in the southern and central regions, where human suffering is acute. In Mogadishu, hundreds of displaced people demonstrated outside their camps calling for an end to the killing of aid workers. "We are desperate," said protester Asha Elmi Farah. "We will not let them (militiamen) jeopardise our hope." "We need to show our anger against the killing and kidnapping aid workers. We say down with those carrying out these attacks," said another protester, Mohamed Said Hassan. At least 2,6-million Somalis are facing hunger due to acute food shortages spurred by a prolonged drought, insecurity and high inflation. The UN's famine monitors have warned that the figure could hit 3,4-million by the end of 2008. United Nations officials have appealed to the Somali government and Islamist militants fighting for control of the country to spare aid workers, many of whom have been killed or kidnapped in recent months. Meanwhile, aid groups have scaled down operations in Somalia owing to increased insecurity, largely blamed on Islamist militants who have waged a guerrilla war since they were ousted by joint Somali-Ethiopian forces in early 2007. The African Union mission to Somalia has deployed 2 600 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers in Somalia - well short of a promised 8 000 troops. But since they deployed in March 2007, they have failed to stem the violence. The UN Security Council is yet to approve the deployment of peacekeepers, 13 years since joint UN-US troops hastily pulled out, paving the way for complete lawlessness. - Sapa-AFP News Category: Somalia Latest Headlines Latest News Premier League: Everton agrees deal to sign Saha f... Somalia: Pirates fail to seize Japanese ship off So... Nigeria: Gunmen demand $12 mln ransom for Israeli h... Cameroon: 10 killed as fuel tanker explodes in north... Somalia: Insurgency in Somalia fueling piracy, thre... Somalia: Somali insurgents welcome Ethiopia's hint ... Somalia: 3 Indians in hijacked ship off Somalia rep... Somalia: UN top envoy for Somalia welcomes deal be... East Africa: EC wants donors to jointly address... Tanzania: Fuel prices in Tanzania fall for the... More News...