Fresh hostilities putting Somali women and children at risk, warns UNICEF

Children begging on the streets of Somalia17 June 2009 – A new wave of aggression and hostilities against humanitarian operations in Somalia is putting at risk the lives of the strife-torn nation’s children and women, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today.
The agency cited in particular the take-over and month-long occupation of its compound in the Central Somali town of Jowhar by militiamen after the town came under the control of the Al-Shabaab group last month.
The Jowhar compound is the biggest operational hub for UNICEF’s support to about 200 feeding centres, and the subsequent looting and destruction of vital humanitarian items during the attack on 17 May have seriously affected its ability to assist the most vulnerable children and women. ..MORE..http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31177&Cr=somalia&Cr1=