Sites captured to protect aid workers in famine-struck Somalia
The African Union Mission has taken over three “strategic” locations in Somalia’s capital, freeing 41 civilian hostages who were held by al-Shabaab militants. The peacekeepers seized Florenza, Sinai and Monopolio Junctions in northeast Mogadishu after a “highly targeted” offensive, the organization said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg. The African Union targeted the areas to protect aid workers providing assistance in the country. A drought has caused famine in two regions of Somalia, causing as many as 100,000 people to arrive in Mogadishu in search of food, water and shelter, according to the United Nations. Medical officials say 50 people were wounded in the operation.