Somalia’s hardline militant Al-Shabaab has suspended the programmes of UN Mine Action in Somalia.
 
A statement from the group’s Office for Supervising the Affairs of Foreign Agencies accused the UN agency, which is responsible for supporting and coordinating mine action, of instigating rebellion against the group and paying salaries of Somali police forces
 
“It is a clear fact that Mine Action pays the salaries of the apostate TFG police forces. In addition to that, they have been attempting to disrupt the peace and justice by bribing various community elders and inciting them to rebel against the Islamic Administration,” it stated.
 
The statement added that the Mine Action was secretly carrying out operations of other organisations such as UNDP, which the office banned from operating in the regions that under the control of Al-Shabaab.
 
“….the articulates investigation uncovered the fact that Mine Action was secretly hosting and undertaking the work of organizations that have previously been prohibited by the Office for Supervising the Affairs of Foreign Agencies such as UNDP.”
 
The group has previously banned many international aid agencies, which it deemed as threat to its administrations and ideologies, from operating in areas under its control.
 
Somalia, a Horn of African country that has been marred by years of civil war and constant drought that affected nearly half of the population.

GAROWE ONLINE