afrol News, 12 June - Increasing pirate attacks on humanitarian supply ships, could spell a catastrophe for more than 2 million hungry Somalis.

UN’s World Food Program (WFP) today made an urgent appeal to naval powers to help in protecting safe passage of ships carrying life-saving assistance to the nation devastated by a complexity of climate change issues as well as a rough tide brought by global trends in fuel and commodities prices.

This year only, about 31 pirate attacks have been experienced in Somali water, even though WFP ships have not been targeted, especially since escort system started last November.

A Dutch frigate is scheduled to finish escort services for WFP on June 25, with the organization still having to deliver about 220,000 tons of food by sea to Somalia between June and December, to reach a total of 2.4 million people per month by December.

"Without escorts, our whole maritime supply route will be threatened," said WFP Country Director, Peter Goossens. "Shipping companies are reluctant to sail unescorted to Somalia, and we have no offers to take over from the Royal Netherlands Navy."

Mr Goossens said WFP is trying to scale up relief food distribution in Somalia to avoid disaster, saying if relief shipments were to slowdown, this could be a bad spell for Somalia which is already experiencing a rise in cases of malnutrition.

Some 80 percent of WFP food for Somalia arrives by sea. From mid-November to 25 June, a succession of French, Danish and Dutch frigates will have escorted 27 ships loaded with 112,500 metric tons of WFP food – enough to feed nearly 1 million people for six months.

Relief food deliveries by sea are essential, WFP said in its appealing, adding that high commodity prices in East Africa have prompted WFP to purchase food in South Africa.

Experts fear that the number of people requiring food assistance later this year could reach 3.5 million people – nearly half the total population. Without urgent new contributions, WFP warned it will run out of food for Somalia in September.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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