The UN food agency WFP condemned Friday the lack of security for humanitarian workers in Somalia and Sudan, DPA reported. It follows the detention of WFP staff member Idris Osman on Wednesday in Mogadishu and the earlier killing of three WFP truck drivers in Darfur. Osman was held after 50-60 uniformed members of Somalia National Security Service stormed a UN compound where he was the officer-in- charge. He was now being held in a cell at their headquarters. WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said in a statement issued in Geneva: "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the continued detention of WFP staff by the security forces." She said it had become extremely difficult to feed hundreds of thousands of people throughout Somalia. "We are operating in an environment which is fraught with insecurity; piracy, banditry and widespread violence. We need the government to protect humanitarian workers." Two WFP officials had spoken by telephone with Osman Thursday and he confirmed he was unharmed. WFP had immediately suspended food delivery in Mogadishu where it had only resumed an operation to feed 75,000 people on Monday. They were halted in June due to the intensity of fighting between Ethiopian-backed government troops and militia. In South Darfur, two of the murdered truck drivers were shot and killed Tuesday whilst on a regular food delivery mission. The third was killed on October 12 when bags of food were stolen.
