Al-Shabab allege that the Red Cross was distributing outdated food in Somalia [@HSMPress]
Somalia’s al-Shabab has banned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), ordering it to close its emergency relief operations in the regions it controls.
The armed Islamist said in a statement on Monday that it had “decided to fully terminate the contract” of the ICRC, claiming the organiation had handed out outdated food and had “falsely accused the mujahideen [al-Shabab] of hindering food distribution”.
Al-Shabab control large parts of south and central Somalia, a region the UN says is currently experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with three areas still categorised as famine zones affecting nearly 250,000 people.
The ICRC had already suspended food aid to 1.1 million people in southern and central Somalia earlier this month, due to obstruction by local armed groups, including in al-Shabab-controlled regions.
The aid suspended included food as well as seeds for farmers, and was intended to be given to the thousands struggling from years of war and the impact of a devastating drought that has ravaged Somalia since October 2010.
However, the ICRC had continued to provide emergency aid including supporting
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