'Al-Qaeda' distributes Somalia aid near Mogadishu Skip to main content

'Al-Qaeda' distributes Somalia aid near Mogadishu

Al Shabaab"s spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage (R) and a foreign al-Qaeda official Abu Abdalla al Muhaajir (L) watch as food rations from al-Qaeda are distributed at the Ala-yasir Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp for al-Shabab militias, in Lower Shabelle, 50 km (31 miles) south of Somalia"s capital Mogadishu, October 13, 2011. The man distributing the aid, Abu Abdulla Almuhajir (left), was accompanied by al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage (centre)

East Africa hunger crisis

A man claiming to be from al-Qaeda has distributed aid in Somalia, highlighting the group's links with al-Shabab militants.

The man identified as US citizen Abu Abdulla Almuhajir and speaking with an American accent handed out food, hijabs and Korans to people at a refugee camp near the capital, Mogadishu.

It is thought to be al-Qaeda's first aid distribution in famine-hit Somalia.

Al-Shabab has restricted aid agencies' access to areas it controls.

It says some international agencies have a political agenda and have exaggerated the scale of the problems.

Some al-Shabab-controlled regions have been declared famine zones, because so many people are suffering severe malnutrition.

Mr Almuhajir was accompanied by al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, who said they were distributing food such as flour, rice, cooking oil, dates and milk to 4,000 people in the Ala-yasir camp, some 50km (30 miles) south-west of Mogadishu.

The UN says that some 750,000 people face starvation in Somalia.

They also said they were distributing $17,000 (£11,000) in cash and a fully-equipped ambulance.
Muslim solidarity BBC Somali service head Yusuf Garaad Omar says al-Shabab has not previously hidden its association with al-Qaeda but this public aid distribution makes the links far more explicit.
The UN-backed government, which controls most of Mogadishu but little other territory, says hundreds of foreign fighters are helping al-Shabab in the country.

Mr Almuhajir said he had gone to Somalia with a message from al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

"We would like to take this opportunity to encourage Muslims around the world to come to the assistance of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Somalia," he said.

On Thursday, two Spanish aid workers with medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres were kidnapped by armed men from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, where almost half a million Somalis have fled, seeking assistance.

It is feared that they may have been taken into Somalia.

Al-Shabab has reportedly denied any links to the abduction, which has led aid agencies to scale back their operation in Dadaab.
East Africa drought map 
 
........
BBC
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do
1 comment
Read more

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f
Post a Comment
Read more