Armed militants in Somalia are blocking United Nations food convoys to more than 360,000 malnourished refugees in an attempt to get the U.N.’s food program out of the country.
The Islamic militant Al-Shabaab group, responsible for the blockades, has accused the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) of ruining the local economy by distributing free imported food, distributing expired food, and serving a political agenda, the BBC reports.
In January of this year, the WFP had stopped its food distribution in large parts of Southern Somalia resulting from armed rebel threats. But the WFP says they are determined to continue helping those in need as long as it’s safe for its staff.
Somalia has endured nearly two decades of unrest and instability. According to the U.N., 3.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
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