EU NAVFOR completes two more WFP and AMISOM escorts

Sep 10, 2010 - 10:34
Thanks to the protection of EU NAVFOR Flagship FS DE GRASSE, both MV MILTZOW, chartered by the World Food Program (WFP), and MV ALFA KIRAWIRA, chartered by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) transited safely from Mombasa to Mogadishu this week.

The WFP shipment on MV MILTZOW delivered 651 tons of Humanitarian Aid to Mogadishu. MV ALFA KIRAWIRA carried important logistics supplies to AMISOM.

Since the beginning of the operation in 2008, 84 WFP chartered ships have been safely escorted by EU NAVFOR warships. These escorts helped in the delivery of more than 410,000 metric tons of food to Somali, feeding on average more than 1,350,000 Somalis each day.

Ongoing drought and civil unrest in central Somalia has left 70% of the population in the region in need of humanitarian assistance, explains WFP on its website. [...] One in six Somali children is acutely malnourished – a total of some 240,000 children – the highest acute malnutrition rates anywhere in the world. In south and central Somalia these rates are even higher, reaching one in every five children. [...] Naval escorts continue to be necessary for ships carrying WFP food into Somalia, in order to protect against the threat of piracy.”

EU NAVFOR has also escorted nearly 60 AMISOM logistic vessels running into Mogadishu, to support the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. The European Union Member States support the AMISOM in order to improve, in particular, the efficiency of the Somali Police Force and to combat any abuse and serious violations of Human Rights.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of  African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EU NAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EU NAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

 

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