Somali Armed Group Lifts Aid Ban Amid Drought

July 07, 2011 from Al Jazeera English

The Somali group al-Shabab says it has lifted a ban on aid agencies operating in the parts of the country it controls. Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, an al-Shabab spokesperson said, "We have now decided to welcome all Muslim and non-Muslim aid agencies to assist the drought-stricken Somalis in our areas." In some areas, one out of every three children is malnourished, in one of the region's worst droughts in 60 years.

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Somalia

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has a population... Explore this topic

Drought

Drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply whether surface or underground water. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem... Explore this topic

2011 Horn of Africa famine

Between July 2011 and mid-2012, a severe drought affected the entire East Africa region. Said to be "the worst in 60 years", the drought caused a severe food crisis across Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya that threatened the livelihood of 9.5 million people. Many refugees... Explore this topic

Al-Shabaab

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is the Somalia-based cell of the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda, formally recognized in 2012. As of 2012, the outfit controls large swathes of the southern parts of the country, where it is said to have imp... Explore this topic

Mogadishu

Mogadishu, known locally as Xamar is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Banaadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries. Tradition and old records assert that southern Somalia, including the ... Explore this topic

Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda is a global militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden at some point between August 1988 and late 1989, with its origins being traceable to the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a rad... Explore this topic

Somali people

Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Ethnic Somalis number around 15-17 million a... Explore this topic

Aid agency

An aid agency is an organisation dedicated to distributing aid. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government, between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizations Explore this topic

Muslim Aid

Muslim Aid is a UK based international relief and development organisation working to alleviate poverty worldwide. The charity says it believes in sustainable, local and practical solutions to empower individuals and strengthen communities. According to the Muslim Aid website ... Explore this topic

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Qur'an—which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad—and, with lesser authority than the Qur'an, the teachings and practices of Muhammad as ... Explore this topic

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Somalia

Drought

2011 Horn of Africa famine

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