Islamic Militant Group Al-Shabaab Tweets Ban on Islamic Relief Aid

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali rebel group Al-Shabaab has banned foreign aid agency Islamic Relief from providing aid to territories under its control.

Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen Press Office (HSM Press), Al-Shabaab’s official Twitter account. (Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail)

In a statement posted on Al-Shabaab’s official Twitter account, the Somali-based cell of Al-Qaeda gave the following reason for the ban: “Islamic Relief has repeatedly failed, despite the persistent warnings, to comply with the operational guidelines.” It accused Islamic Relief of “covertly extending the operations of banned organisations, particularly WFP.”

The World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations organizations were denied access to Al-Shabaab controlled areas two years ago by the rebel group. Al-Shabaab also forced out the International Committee of the Red Cross, along with 16 other aid agencies from Southern Somalia, earlier this year. According to Al-Shabaab authorities, these “western charities” allegedly exaggerated the scale of drought in Somalia and passed such inaccurate information to foreign agencies.

Al-Shabaab’s tweet came as a surprise to  Islamic Relief who has been providing aid to Somalia since 1996. Islamic Relief found it unusual for Al-Shabaab to issue such a ban without notifying the aid agency beforehand. The UK-based aid agency says it has yet to be officially informed of the decision. “Normally, al-Shabaab will talk to you first, then they will show their dissatisfaction,” said Iftikhar Ahmad Shaheen, regional director for east Africa at Islamic Relief. “We didn’t hear anything from them whatsoever for the past month… The staff [in Somalia] didn’t know anything.”

Shaheen also denied being funded by and conniving with the WFP. “I can testify that to the best of my knowledge, for the past five to six years, Islamic Relief has never worked with WFP in Somalia,” Shaheen told the press last week.

Islamic Relief is currently working on an appeal to Al-Shabaab to withdraw the ban. Shaheen noted that if the prohibition will not be lifted, “it could put many lives at risk, jeopardising our work providing food, water, sanitation, healthcare and support for income generation to 1.3 million people in Somalia.”

Two weeks ago, another aid agency, Oxfam, issued warnings that “water and food shortages are at critical levels” across the country with conditions “likely to deteriorate in parts of the country over the coming months.” It reported that southern Somalia – especially parts of the Gedo region, Lower Juba and Bakool – remains in crisis.

A severe drought hit Somalia last year that affected nearly 12 million people and caused several areas in the country to be declared as famine zones. The 2011 drought is recorded as one of the worst droughts to affect east Africa.

 

For further information, please see:

AFP – Somali rebels ban aid group Islamic Relief – 09 October 2012

Al Jazeera – Al-Shabab bans Islamic Relief aid group – 08 October 2012

BBC News – Somalia’s al-Shabab militants ban Islamic Relief aid – 08 October 2012

The Guardian – Somalia facing aid shortfall after al-Shabaab bans Islamic Relief – 08 October 2012

The Daily Mail – Terrorists on Twitter: Islamic extremists al-Shabaab launch micro-blogging account (… and guest what, they follow no-one!) – 9 December 2011

 

Author: Impunity Watch Archive