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Rebels Ban WFP Aid to Its Territory in Somalia

02 March 2010 01:47 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The al-Shabab Somali rebels have announced a ban on World Food Program operations, which were already suspended in rebel-controlled territory earlier this year due to "unacceptable" demands from the Islamist militants, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€. A senior U.S. official says that al-Shabab, not the U.S., is the one "politicizing" aid to the country.

In January the WFP announced it was ending food aid to al-Shabab controlled areas after the group demanded, among other things, that all food be locally-bought and that the organization pay a $20,000 tax twice a year to the militants.

On Sunday the rebel group announced that it was formally banning the food aid organization, saying that the assistance meals destroy the livelihood of local farmers. It also accused the group of "covert" political motives.

The WFP insists its operations are non-political. According to the aid group, nearly half of the Somali population was in need of food assistance as of late last year.