Somali govt. bans aid agencies

Wed Dec 15, 2010

The transitional government of Somalia has imposed a ban on a number of aid groups operating in the country as instability and violence is surging.

The groups which include the UN Children's Fund, the international committee of the Red Cross, the Norwegian Refugee Council and also Danish Refugee Council, were suspended since they did not turn up for a meeting called by the government about drought in the country.

The announcement was made by the deputy minister of water, energy and mining ministry, Abdurahman Yusuf Farah, on Tuesday, the AFP news agency reported.

Other international aid and humanitarian agencies have been previously prohibited by al-Shabab fighters from working in areas where they have gained control.

However, it is the first time that the Somali government has taken such a measure against the UN and other international organizations.

The situation is dramatically tense in the Somali capital as heavy fighting continues between al-Shabab fighters and government forces backed by African Union (AU) troops.

Al-Shabab fighters accuse the AU of invading their country and say they will continue their battle until the invading forces withdraw from the country.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Over the past two decades, up to one million people have lost their lives in the fighting between rival factions and due to famine and disease.

There are more than 1.4 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Somalia. More than 300,000 IDPs are sheltering in Mogadishu in poor and degrading conditions on makeshift sites, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155505.html.