18/12/08 (B478-B) Shabelle / L’organisation charitative WFP est chassée de Kismayo par l’administation islamique, avec confiscation de son matériel et en particulier de 7 camions. WFB banned in Somali region (En Anglais – Info lecteur)

The Islamic administration in Kismayo, confiscated seven trucks carrying WFP food aid for southern Somalia, officials said on Wednesday

Hassan Ya’kub Ali, a spokesman for the Islamic administration in Kismayu told Radio Shabelle that his administration banned WFB to bring food Lower Jubba region.

He said that WFB discouraged the farmers to stop cultivating their fertile land by dumping food at the time of producing crops.

Farming in Somalia needs heavy equipment which most people are not willing to invest in at times of war. However, smaller farmers can produce enough crops for local consumption if they get proper equipment.

The UN estimates that some 3.2 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, are in need of assistance. In addition, around one in six children under the age of five in southern and central Somalia is currently acutely malnourished.