UN guards kill 3 hungry Somalis

Published on Tuesday 8th July 2008

Somalia: Soldiers, guarding a UN food convoy, have killed three among a crowd of hungry Somalis who attacked the convoy out of desperation.

Nine other civilians suffered serious injuries in the Monday incident.

The crowd stormed the convoy as it was passing through the Wanleweyn town in the Lopwe Shabelle region.

One of the guards was also killed during the fight which was reportedly joined afterwards by the Somali insurgents.

Meanwhile Director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Somalia, Osman Ali Ahmed was killed by three unknown attackers, his wife Nasteha Abukar Sheikh Yusuf told our correspondent.

She blamed anti-government groups for his murder.

The attack is believed to have been an attempt at stopping the UNDP's financial support for Somali's transitional government and its military.

The United Nations and Somali officials condemned the deadly incident.