United Nations Radio

The World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for international action against piracy following a deadly attack on a ship carrying food aid in the waters off Somalia. ~~

WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran warns that repeated attacks on its contracted ships are seriously threatening the agency's ability to feed one million Somalis.

On Saturday, a Somali guard was killed when he helped repulse a new pirate attack on a ship that had just delivered WFP food assistance to the Somali port of Merka. Pirates have hijacked at least five ships off Somalia this year.

In addition to the thousands of people who have been displaced from Mogadishu, WFP aims to feed 850-thousand people in other parts of Somalia during 2007.