Somali Forces Invade U.N. Compound

Forces of the Somali government have invaded a United Nations compound in the capitol, Mogadishu, and imprisoned a local World Food Program official after seizing him from the compound. The U.N. has responded by condemning the incident, demanding the official's release, and stopping food distribution in the capitol.

According to a press release issued by the United Nations on Wednesday, about 50-60 armed Somali National Security Service personnel came into the building Wednesday morning, despite U.N. staff protesting their entrance. The World Food Program's local officer-in-charge was forced to leave the compound and is being imprisoned at the National Security Service's headquarters. Fortunately, no gunshots or injuries were reported.

In response to this, the World Food Program has ceased supplying food in the city, and the United Nations Secretary General has condemned the incident. He called for the WFP official to be released immediately, without conditions, and referred to the Security Service's conduct as being in "flagrant violation" of the Convention on Privileges and Immunity.

The press release also indicates that insufficient rain and other problems have brought about the need for food assistance in Somalia, stating that the number of people needing such food had increased by about half since the year began. The WFP had begun distributing food in Mogadishu on Monday until the incident occurred, and intended to supply food to over seventy-five thousand residents via mosques located in the city.

The UN's IRIN news agency reported that the World Food Program had yet to receive an explanation from Somali authorities. It indicated that anti-government rebels had attacked targets in the capitol on Tuesday, to which government forces responded with artillery, making it necessary for some residents to leave their homes. Rebels temporarily occupied a police station in southern Mogadishu, where there was heavy fighting.

According to the CIA World Factbook entry on Somalia, the East African nation is almost as large as the state of Texas and has a population of approximately 9.1 million people. Most of the country is bordered by Kenya, Ethiopia, and the Indian Ocean. The average life expectancy is only about forty-nine years. Languages spoken in Somalia include Italian, Somali, Arabic, and English. Most of the nation's exports are sold to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. It was a colony partially ruled by the U.K. and part by Italy until it became independent in 1960.

Sources:

1. United Nations, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=24315
2. CIA World Factbook (public domain), https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html
3. IRIN, http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74822