UN makes first Somalian aid drop in two years

THE United Nations has made its first aid delivery to a rebel-held Somalia region after the insurgents lifted a ban on the operations of foreign aid agencies, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

The UN children’s agency airlifted five metric tonnes of food and medicines for malnourished children to Baidoa, a town in central Somalia controlled by al Qaida-inspired Shebab rebels.

“It was successful and it was a good step towards airlifting supplies into Somalia. It is the first in two years,” said Iman Morooka, the UNICEF spokeswoman for Somalia.