The militant Islamist group al-Shabaab lifted a ban on Western aid organisations operating in southern Somalia yesterday, as thousands of people continued to flee to neighbouring countries to escape severe food shortages caused by one of the worst droughts for 60 years.
The al-Qaeda-linked group imposed the ban in 2009, accusing the United Nations and British charities of being anti-Muslim. It now says that all charities, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, can give emergency aid as long as they have “no hidden agenda”.
Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, an al-Shabaab spokesman, told a press conference in the capital, Mogadishu: “We have now decided to welcome all Muslim and non-Muslim aid agencies to assist the drought-stricken Somalis in our areas . . . All aid agencies whose objective is only humanitarian relief are free to operate in our area.”
The UN said that Somalia was experiencing pre-famine conditions, driving more than 1,000 people over the border into Kenya and Ethiopia each day.
Al-Shabaab fighters, who profess loyalty to al-Qaeda, control central and southern parts of the country and are battling a Western-backed administration for supremacy in Mogadishu.
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In the past al-Shabaab has said that food aid created dependency. Recently however, the movement has suffered a series of military setbacks and failed to win the hearts and minds of people who have historically practised a moderate version of Islam.
Local analysts said that al-Shabaab was short of funds and had lifted the ban so that it could continue to finance its war effort. Aid agencies normally have to pay a hefty registration fee, which critics call a bribe, to operate in any part of Somalia.
An estimated 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are said to be affected by this year’s drought. Its effects have been compounded in Somalia by the violence that has racked the country for more than 20 years.
The UN said that 2.8 million Somalis needed emergency aid. In the worst- hit areas one in three children was suffering from malnutrition. Conflict has prevented nomads from moving and their cattle have perished. “These people are coming over to Kenya because there is food there; they have no choice,” a regional expert said.
On Tuesday al-Shabaab soldiers blocked two trucks carrying people to Mogadishu in the hope of finding food and water.