UN Airlift Planned to Get Food to Famine-Hit Southern Somalia
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The United Nations set plans today to begin airlifting food into famine-stricken southern Somalia, accepting pledges of security from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic militia al-Shabaab, which controls the region.
World Food Program Executive Director Josette Sheeran decided during a trip to Somalia’s war-torn capital Mogadishu to test the sincerity of al-Shabaab, which has previously denied access to international aid organizations. The Rome-based UN agency said the airlift will begin “within days” and aims to reach as many as 2.2 million Somalis.