French navy escorts Somali aid to deter pirates - AFP

(Adds WFP quotes, radio stations to go off air)
By Aweys Yusuf

MOGADISHU, Nov 19 (Reuters) - U.N. ships carrying aid to Somalia docked under French naval escort on Monday as part of a new strategy to deter pirates threatening food shipments to Somalis suffering from conflict and drought.

The shipments arrived against a background of spiralling violence in the Horn of Africa nation, where at least four people in a refugee settlement were killed when a landmine blast prompted government soldiers to open fire on Sunday.

Aid workers and witnesses in the port of Merka, 100 km (60 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, said two ships chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP) were offloading food supplies with a French warship standing guard offshore.

"I can see two WFP ships offloading food that includes maize, beans, porridge and cooking oil. I can also see a huge warship somewhere off the coast," said witness Yusuf Mohamed.
WFP said French frigate Commandant Ducuing escorted MV Rozen and MV Semlow and their combined 3,650 tonnes of aid. The Kenyan-owned ships have, in the last three years, been seized and repeatedly attacked by pirates while carrying WFP cargoes.

"This operation comes at a critical time for the Somali people who have been devastated by some of the worst conflict and drought seen in years," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said in a statement.

"Piracy has damaged our ability to reach Somalia's most vulnerable people. We, like France, hope other nations will urgently step up and follow the French example."
WFP said France's operation was expected to last two months. U.N. officials say an estimated 1.2 million Somalis are affected by food shortages in the Horn of Africa country.
Piracy is rampant off the coast, one of the world's most dangerous. Pirates have mounted at least 26 attacks on ships off Somalia, including 13 hijackings, this year alone. Of those attacked, three were ships carrying WFP food assistance.

REFUGEES KILLED

In Elasha, a refugee settlement 20 km (12 miles) south of Mogadishu, witnesses said government soldiers opened fire on Sunday in reaction to a blast and killed at least four people.
"A roadside bomb blast targeted a government battlewagon passing by the road to Mogadishu, wounding two soldiers, but the troops opened fire and killed four civilians instantly," resident Bashir Abdulahi told Reuters by telephone on Monday.

Thousands of families have fled to Elasha during fighting between insurgents and government troops and their Ethiopian military allies.

Rights groups accuse Ethiopian and Somali troops and the insurgents of shooting indiscriminately at civilians, who are most often caught in reprisal attacks or military sweeps to flush out rebels hiding among the populace.

Thousands have been killed by mortar, rocket attacks and fire fights since Somalia's Ethiopian-backed interim government toppled Islamist fighters over the New Year, sparking an insurgency that has forced hundreds of thousands to flee.

In a separate development, the managers of Mogadishu's private radio stations vowed to suspend their broadcasts for 24 hours. The protest against a government crackdown on the media was due to start from 1200 GMT on Monday.

Authorities closed three out of Mogadishu's 10 private stations last week in a move condemned by rights groups. (Editing by Peter Millership)

Source: Reuters