AU Force Presses Offensive to Ease Somali Food Aid

African Union troops remain on the offensive in Somalia in an effort to ease the flow of food aid to the famine-stricken country.

A spokesman for the AU peacekeeping force, Paddy Akunda, tells VOA that troops are trying to capture a Mogadishu football stadium and other key areas controlled by militant group al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab has denied a famine is taking place and banned many aid groups from operating in areas of southern and central Somalia under its rule.

Akunda says the AU offensive, launched Thursday, is designed to “widen the space for delivery of humanitarian aid.” Last week, the U.N. World Food Program began an emergency airlift of food into Mogadishu.

The U.N. has said some 3.7 million Somalis are in need of emergency assistance.

Akunda says four Ugandan soldiers have been killed since the AU offensive began. He says at least one of the troops’ bodies was dragged through the streets Friday.

The World Food Program says Somalia is the epicenter of the regional drought, which has also impacted millions in Kenya, Ethiopia, and other Horn of Africa countries.

The U.N. recently declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia and has warned that famine conditions could spread to other areas if aid does not get through.

The drought has forced hundreds of thousands of Somalis to flee their homes in search of food and water. Many have gone to camps in Mogadishu, while others have fled to crowded refugee camps in Kenya or Ethiopia.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday that it is distributing food to 162,000 people in central and southern Somalia.