 | What did mid-November ever do to Somali food aid? |
A French naval vessel will in mid-November start protecting food aid destined for the beleaguered Somalis from pirate attacks, a French naval officer said Thursday. "We have plans to send a warship from France's frigate class ... to escort WFP food aid from Mombasa to Mogadishu starting from mid-November in operations that will last until mid-January," Vice Admiral Jacques Launay, told AFP. "The operations have a defensive and preventive posture but they will respond if they come under attack," he added.
Launay, joint commander of France's Indian Ocean fleet, was in Addis Ababa for talks with Africa Union officials. A World Food Pogramme-chartered vessel on Sunday escaped an attack off the Somali coast, hightlighting problems facing the agency faces in feeding starving Somalis.
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