The actions of al-Shabaab and other violent extremists in Somalia are denying approximately 900,000 people access to critical food aid and humanitarian assistance, according to a U.S. Department of State spokesman. At a press conference, January 5, 2010, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley discussed the U.S. government's reaction to a number of issues, including the recent decision of the Word Food Program to suspend humanitarian operations in southern Somalia and the political crisis in Guinea. The United Nations World Food Program provides lifesaving food aid to more than 3.8 million people throughout Somalia. Due to an increase in threats and attacks to humanitarian aid workers, the organization has been forced to temporarily close its offices in Southern Somalia, moving staff, food supplies, and equipment to northern Somalia and neighboring countries. This suspension will affect 900,000 people in the region, or approximately one-third of the World Food Program's caseload. "The United States remains committed to working with the international community to meet the humanitarian needs of the Somali people," said Crowley. "We will continue to work with the World Food Program and other UN and nongovernmental partners to provide vital humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia." According to State Department officials, the U.S. government is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance in Somalia, providing more than $150 million in food and non-food emergency aid in fiscal year 2009. The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided the vast majority of assistance to Somalia through the World Food Program. Crowley also provided an update on the political situation in Guinea, following a January 5 meeting in Rabat, Morocco attended by Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson. Carson met with members of Guinea's ruling party, including the acting ruler, General Sekouba Konate, to seek a peaceful resolution to Guinea's political crisis. The nation's current military leader, Moussa Dadis Camara, is recovering in a Morocco hospital after he was shot in the head by the former chief of the presidential guard on December 3, nearly a year after Camara seized power in a military coup. Reiterating a statement made by Carson earlier in the day, Crowley said, "We support the establishment of a civilian-led transition government leading to free, fair, and transparent democratic elections." AFRICOM PAO Note: U.S. Africa Command coordinates Defense Department programs in support of U.S. foreign policy led by the Department of State. This article is posted to promote public understanding of current U.S. foreign policy in Africa. View the complete transcript of the press conference at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2010/01/134720.htm.