World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

JOHANNESBURG – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a generous donation of R3 million (US$400,000) from the Government of South Africa, which will help the agency to feed thousands of hungry families in the Horn of Africa region.

ROME – Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, today announced a donation of €75 million (US$112m) to the United Nations World Food Programme in response to the critical hunger situation in the Horn of Africa.

This news release was issued by the Office of the United Nations Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

The Executive Director of WFP condemned the killing, today, by gunmen of one of the agency’s staff members in southern Somalia, and urged all parties to the worsening conflict there to protect humanitarian workers.

WFP is to begin delivering emergency supplies of a highly nutritious, peanut-based food to Somalia in a bid to combat the growing threat of severe malnutrition amongst children in the war-ravaged nation.

WFP today welcomed the decision by Canada to extend its naval mission protecting ships carrying humanitarian aid to Somalia for a further month.

Gunmen shot and killed a WFP-contracted truck driver in southern Somalia, the fourth driver delivering WFP food assistance killed this year, WFP said.

The Executive Director of WFP has expressed shock and sadness today at the killing of one of the agency’s staff members in southern Somalia.