Five aid workers killed in Somalia in H1: report

The UN humanitarian agency said attacks on aid workers delivering supplies in Somalia almost doubled and left five dead in the first half of 2016.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report launched on Friday that more than 80 security related incidents with direct impact on humanitarian organizations were recorded in the first half of this year, which were more than half of incidents reported in the whole of 2015.

These incidents resulted in the death of five, injury of eight, abduction of three and physical assault of five humanitarian workers, the report says.

The number of aid workers killed in 2015 rose to 17 from 10 in 2014, while the number of attacks on aid agency staff rose to 140 in 2015 from 75 in 2014, according to the report.

The Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which is fighting to topple the Somali government, has been targeting humanitarian workers for political gain, sometimes demanding ransom for those kidnapped.

The report says the volatile security situation in Somalia continues to impact on civilian lives and create a challenging environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

"The threats include armed attacks by different actors. Increased cases of disruption were recorded in Awdal region and in parts of southern and central Somalia," it says.

According to the report, non-state armed actors have continued to implement road blockades in areas in southern and central of the country.

"This has impeded the movement of people including humanitarian personnel, and relief and commercial commodities," it said, adding that the proliferation of illegal checkpoints and extortions has also impacted road access. Endit