Al-Shabaab Blocks Somali Famine Relief
Red Cross says it won’t resume supplies until convoys can be guaranteed
One of the few organizations providing urgent food and other humanitarian aid to over a quarter of a million people in the conflict areas in Somalia has announced it is halting supplies saying Islamic militants had suddenly and inexplicably begun blocking supplies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stressed that decision applied to only parts of central and southern Somalia and is only temporary. A spokeswoman for ICRC said their coordination with the Al-Shabaab, the Islamic group that controls large swathes of the war-torn country, had inexplicably ended.
“The problem is that our convoys, which are bringing the food to the places where we want to bring them, have been blocked by local authorities on the ground now,” Anna Schaaf, told The Media Line. “When I say local authorities I mean those who are related to Al-Shabaab because, of course, they are controlling the territories.”
Schaaf said a previous round of food distribution that ended last year was done in coordination with Al-Shabaab and was supposed to continue.
“Now we ourselves really don’t understand what the problem is and we are in discussions with them. We are hoping to get reassurances and guarantees again that will respect the way we are working and we can our distribution as soon as possible,” Schaaf said.
An African Union (AU) peacekeeping force has backed Somalia’s weak central government since early 2007 and in the past year has made major gains against Al-Shabaab. Nevertheless, the Islamic militants remain strong and on Thursday the AU asked the United Nations Security Council to increase the size of the force from a mandated 12,000 troops to more than 17,700.
“It’s a war zone. It’s dangerous,” Schaaf said. “It is a very difficult area to work in. I hope we will find a solution very soon and we can resume the food distribution.”
The food distribution, which started in October of last year, has already benefited more than 1.1 million people despite major logistical constraints. Since mid-December, however, local authorities in central and southern Somalia have blocked the delivery of food intended for 240,000 people in the Middle Shabelle and Galgaduud regions, the ICRC said.
Patrick Vial, the head of the ICRC delegation for Somalia, said in a statement that the organization is actively seeking the cooperation of the local authorities to honor their agreement to allow the food distributions in their areas.
Last month, ICRC officials said they had managed to deliver humanitarian aid to nearly one million Somalis before the rainy season set in. Officials said some convoys had been trapped in flooded rivers swarming with crocodiles but that they had been able to arrange distribution in the areas controlled by Al-Shabaab Islamists. Only last summer the militants lifted a ban on aid due to the dire situation.
Together with the Somali Red Crescent Society, the ICRC has distributed since mid-October beans, rice and oil to over 917,000 people in southern and central Somalia. Each family receives some 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of rice, 25 kilograms of beans and 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of oil.
Since October 2010, the ICRC has distributed food rations to more than a million people and has provided agricultural support for over 100,000 farmers as part of their long-term aim of helping people regain self-sufficiency by providing them with improved access to clean water, health care and other essentials of daily life.
Source http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=34169
One of the few organizations providing urgent food and other humanitarian aid to over a quarter of a million people in the conflict areas in Somalia has announced it is halting supplies saying Islamic militants had suddenly and inexplicably begun blocking supplies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stressed that decision applied to only parts of central and southern Somalia and is only temporary. A spokeswoman for ICRC said their coordination with the Al-Shabaab, the Islamic group that controls large swathes of the war-torn country, had inexplicably ended.
“The problem is that our convoys, which are bringing the food to the places where we want to bring them, have been blocked by local authorities on the ground now,” Anna Schaaf, told The Media Line. “When I say local authorities I mean those who are related to Al-Shabaab because, of course, they are controlling the territories.”
Schaaf said a previous round of food distribution that ended last year was done in coordination with Al-Shabaab and was supposed to continue.
“Now we ourselves really don’t understand what the problem is and we are in discussions with them. We are hoping to get reassurances and guarantees again that will respect the way we are working and we can our distribution as soon as possible,” Schaaf said.
An African Union (AU) peacekeeping force has backed Somalia’s weak central government since early 2007 and in the past year has made major gains against Al-Shabaab. Nevertheless, the Islamic militants remain strong and on Thursday the AU asked the United Nations Security Council to increase the size of the force from a mandated 12,000 troops to more than 17,700.
“It’s a war zone. It’s dangerous,” Schaaf said. “It is a very difficult area to work in. I hope we will find a solution very soon and we can resume the food distribution.”
The food distribution, which started in October of last year, has already benefited more than 1.1 million people despite major logistical constraints. Since mid-December, however, local authorities in central and southern Somalia have blocked the delivery of food intended for 240,000 people in the Middle Shabelle and Galgaduud regions, the ICRC said.
Patrick Vial, the head of the ICRC delegation for Somalia, said in a statement that the organization is actively seeking the cooperation of the local authorities to honor their agreement to allow the food distributions in their areas.
Last month, ICRC officials said they had managed to deliver humanitarian aid to nearly one million Somalis before the rainy season set in. Officials said some convoys had been trapped in flooded rivers swarming with crocodiles but that they had been able to arrange distribution in the areas controlled by Al-Shabaab Islamists. Only last summer the militants lifted a ban on aid due to the dire situation.
Together with the Somali Red Crescent Society, the ICRC has distributed since mid-October beans, rice and oil to over 917,000 people in southern and central Somalia. Each family receives some 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of rice, 25 kilograms of beans and 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of oil.
Since October 2010, the ICRC has distributed food rations to more than a million people and has provided agricultural support for over 100,000 farmers as part of their long-term aim of helping people regain self-sufficiency by providing them with improved access to clean water, health care and other essentials of daily life.
Source http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=34169
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