Castro Posted April 21, 2007 Fri. April 20, 2007 04:13 am.- By David Odoki. - (SomaliNet) The United Nations has raised concern over Somali government forces and their Ethiopian backers whom it says are hindering United Nations relief efforts in the East African nation, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator for Somalia said Thursday. Staffs are being detained and aid shipments are prevented from reaching their destination because of roadblocks, threats and continued fighting, Eric Laroche told reporters. Somalia’s Interior Minister Mohamed Mohamud Guled said that the U.N. has not informed them of their concerns, but, "It is our duty to monitor for security reasons all humanitarian aid." Laroche said that more than a dozen U.N. agencies are working to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected by continued fighting between Somali troops backed by Ethiopian forces and remnants of the country’s ousted Islamic movement. "We have to have access to our warehouses. We have to have access without being blocked by the Ethiopian forces or the TFG (Transitional Federal Government) forces," Laroche said. Some 218,000 people have fled their homes and many more rely on relief groups for basic needs, but aid workers are unable to reach up to 100,000 people.(AP) SomaliNet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
