A ship chartered by the UN food relief agency has been attacked by pirates, off the coast of Somalia.
After delivering 4,000 tonnes of food to the port of Merka, south of Mogadishu, the vessel was about to journey to Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam, when it was attacked.
Though the attempted hijacking failed, the heavily armed pirates killed a guard who had been sent to intercept them.
Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Programme, was dismayed, commenting: "We urge key nations to do their utmost to address to 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."
The ship's agents have since refused to continue with the aid effort unless they are given armed escort.
Piracy has been common near the Somalian coast since the 1990s - three ships were boarded last week and crimes have risen since the six-month rule of the Union of Islamic Courts ended last year.
