Somali pirates holding ten hostages for more than a month on a ship chartered by the UN World Food Programme to carry food aid have agreed to free the vessel and men very soon.
"An agreement has been reached for the release of the ship, crew and food in the next three days," WFP spokeswoman Rene McGuffin said in Nairobi.
The Somali militiamen hijacked the MV Semlowon June 27th as it headed for the northern port of Bossaso carrying 850 tonnes of rice donated by Japan and Germany for post-tsunami relief to the Horn of Africa nation.
The pirates had initially demanded a $500,000 ransom for the eight Kenyan crew members, Sri Lankan captain and Tanzanian engineer.
They then reduced that to demand only the rice.
WFP said agreement was reached at a meeting yestrday in Jowhar - the seat of the new Somali government - between diplomats, local leaders and the WFP.