Ethiopian Journal

Somali Islamic opposition group, al-Shabaab, has ordered the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to end their operations and leave the country after halting food aid trucks travelling to refugee camps in Afgoye  over the weekend. The group says the food aid provided by the WFP has had a negative impact on local farming by forcing reliance on imports and the selling of local goods at unfair prices. Additionally, they accuse the WFP of distributing expired food, causing widespread illness, and using the programme as a cover for their political agenda.

In a new statement, al-Shabab said, “all of WFP’s operations inside Somalia are terminated and the organisation has been completely banned.” They add that anyone that continues working with the programme will be considered an accomplice to the organisation and the destruction of the economy.

In response, the WFP defended the programme’s impartiality and non-political nature. They estimate roughly half of the Somali population is in need of assistance due to the ongoing conflict in the country since the government’s collapse in 1991.  In January, the WFP pulled out of southern Somalia due to ongoing attacks and extortion by rebels, but had hoped to restart delivering food aid to the area later this year.