SACB calls for suspension of relief efforts in Gedo

Meanwhile, the Somalia Aid Coordination Body (SACB) - comprising donors, UN agencies and international NGOs - on Wednesday called for the suspension of all rehabilitation and development assistance to Gedo Region in protest at the lack of justice from local authorities and community representatives after the murder in January of Dr Singh Bhogal, a veterinarian working on a rinderpest vaccination programme with the Italian NGO, Terra Nuova. Community leaders had accepted an SACB demand that the perpetrators, the identity of whom was known, be brought to justice and that money and equipment stolen from Terra Nuova be returned, but no action has been taken, a statement said, adding that the Somali people had to take responsibility for guaranteeing secure conditions for aid agencies and their staff.