Deliveries of food aid to Somalia by sea have been halted, after an attempt
by pirates to seize a ship chartered by the UN food relief agency.
The head of the World Food Programme said their programme to feed one
million Somalis is under threat.

The WFP-chartered vessel was attacked on Saturday off the Somali port of
Merka after it had just delivered 4,000 tons of food.

The pirates killed a guard who was among a group sent to intercept them.

Following the attack, the agents for a ship loaded with food in Mombasa in
Kenya have refused to allow the vessel to set sail for Somalia until they
are given an armed escort.

"We are not taking any risks after being victims four times. We planned to
go to Somali this week but following Saturday's incident our ship will not
sail," Karim Kudrat who owns MV Rozen that was hijacked in Puntland said.

Shipping is the main and fastest way of getting food relief into Somalia.

In a statement the WFP executive director, Josette Sheeran, said: "We urge
key nations to do their utmost to address the plague of piracy, which is now
threatening our ability to feed one million Somalis."

"This attack underscores the growing problem of piracy off Somalia which, if
unresolved, will sever the main artery of food assistance to the country and
to the people who rely on it for their survival," she added.

'Alarmed'

The ship was on its way to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania after
delivering food aid to Merka, south of Mogadishu.