(Image source: BBC News)
BY: ALEJANDRA QUINTELA
Somalia is desperate and hungry. But when other countries offer aid, Al Shabab says “no.” The militant group has reversed its decision earlier this month to allow aid organizations into the region -- following a UN declaration of famine.
“The UN’s food agency says that now 12 million people need emergency aid -- with hundreds of that lot dying every single day. In the regions where famine has been declared, close to a third of the population are suffering from starvation and mass displacement.”
But while the international community tries to respond to the UN’s call, the rebel group says the declaration is a lie. Christian Science Monitor quotes an Al Shabab spokesman saying -- what famine?
“We say [the UN declaration of famine in southern Somalia] is totally, 100 percent wrong and baseless propaganda. Yes there is drought but the conditions are not as bad as they say...They have another objective and it wouldn’t surprise us if they were politicizing the situation.”
Al Shabab, an Islamic militant group with ties to Al Quaeda, has a history of harassing foreign aid groups. An analyst on CNN says Al Shabab’s policies are what caused the famine in the first place.
“All of these countries are suffering from this drougt. But it’s only in Somalia -- and only in the southern part of Somalia where Al Shabab is in control -- where the UN has declared famine. … They took a drought, and they turned it into a famine. They took a disaster and they turned it into an absolute catastrophe.”
But despite Al Shabab’s refusal, humanitarian agencies are still trying to get into the famine zone. The Guardian reports:
“The [World Food Program] plans to airlift food within the next few days into Mogadishu, to where many people have fled from the countryside due to hunger. The organisation is also looking at ways of getting food into the famine-hit areas if it can get assurances that its staff will not be harmed and aid will not be diverted."
The situation gets more complicated, as official U.S. policies prohibit aid to terrorist groups like Al Shabab. Aid groups have been warned that any cooperation with the Al Shabab could cause serious legal trouble.
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Transcript by Newsy.
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