Somali Soldiers Seize Head Of UN
Posted October 17, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The head of UN food agency operations in the violence-plagued Somali capital was taken away Wednesday by what appeared to be 50 to 60 heavily armed government security officers who stormed the UN compound in Mogadishu, the agency said.
The World Food Program suspended aid distribution in Mogadishu in response to the detention of the official, Irdris Osman.
Interior Minister Mohamed Mohamoud Guled denied government forces carried out any operation at the UN compound. But he added that the WFP last month distributed food aid without consulting the government, which in recent months has blocked distributions to areas it feels doesn’t support the administration.
The detention followed some of the heaviest fighting in weeks in the capital. Overnight, at least eight civilians and one policeman died during a battle between Islamic insurgents and policemen.
Osman was being held in a cell at the National Security Service headquarters and the WFP has not received any explanation for the action.
United Nations Headquarters in New York City (Photo Courtesy Wikipedia).
