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PODCASTSomalia: kicking out WFP likely to backfire on al-Shabaab
What on earth was al-Shabaab thinking? Kicking out the World Food Programme while four million Somalis are almost starving to death. According to Somali journalist Mahad Mussa, this may well be as big a blow for al-Shabaab, as it is to ordinary people.
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Mussa, chief editor with Horseed, a Somali media organisation which operates from the Netherlands, Finland and Somalia, is especially concerned with the impact the ban might have on internally displaced Somalis (IDPs) living in the south. “They solely depend on the food they get from international organisations, and WFP is the main distributor. But with al-Shabaab controlling most of southern Somalia and the federal government having zero military muscle, access hasn’t exactly been easy in the past months.”
Al-Shabaab claim ‘ridiculous’
The United Nations says nearly four million people, about half the country’s population, need emergency food aid. Yet al-Shabaab argues that the large-scale food distribution was disadvantaging local farmers. A ‘ridiculous claim’, rejects Mussa. “Local farmers don’t have the capacity to provide enough food. Even if WFP bought all their food from local farmers, it wouldn’t be sufficient. At times even local farmers need food from abroad to get by.”
Nobody really understands what al-Shabaab wants to achieve by kicking out WFP. “It’s not a logical thing to do,” agrees Mussa. “But then again, al-Shabaab is a very radical organisation and they’ve been targeting the UN for a while now. They don’t see the UN as a humanitarian organisation, but as a foreign force that supports the federal government in Mogadishu and interferes with al-Shabaab’s ideology for Somalia.
For Ernst Jan Hogendoorn, Horn of Africa Project Director of the International Crisis Group, “the debate revolves around money. WFP is perhaps being punished for refusing to pay the twenty to thirty thousand dollars ‘tax’ that al-Shabaab is trying to impose on UN agencies and NGOs.”
Fearful obedience
Al-Shabaab has instructed all Somalis to stop working with or for WFP. Mussa reckons that most Somalis will follow this order, but not voluntarily. “If you protest against al-Shabaab, you risk being classified as a spy. Al-Shabaab has in the past executed several people in southern Somalia who were working for western organisations. There’s a lot of fear on the ground, which makes it difficult to know exactly how much popular support al-Shabaab can count on.”
Al-shabaab ‘losing support’
And this, in the longer term, may backfire on al-Shabaab, is Mussa’s educated guess. “There were already allegations that WFP rations meant for IDPs were sold on the local market, with the money going straight into the pockets of groups like al-Shabaab. I believe they might lose more support now that they’ve banned WFP altogether. Don’t forget that this is not just a political, but also a humanitarian issue. Millions of people are facing famine.”
2 Responses to “Somalia: kicking out WFP likely to backfire on al-Shabaab”
WFP and their likes are, the very reason why Somalia is a failed state.
United nation organisation are so corrupt and impotent, the sooner they get thrown out the better, specially in southern Somalia.
I don’t like Al-shabab but their decision to throw WFP and all UN organisation out of Southern Somalia, could be the best thing they have done for Somali people.
WFP’s free aid turns people into helpless dependents. When aid arrives,it stops people from farming and producing their own food. It stops those who used to go fishing. Why go all that hassle when you can get if for free.
After a while people loose their skills, confident and know how. All the clever people would try to get a job in UN organisation, the circle would continue forever. UN staff would keep exaggrating the need in order to get promoted and so on.
Worst of all, aid stops people from facing reality. Who pays for all these? WFP does not print money out of the blue. Can people in the other countries afford paying for these all this years?
Somebody need to break this chain. I welcome Alshabab’s move.
we need facts and finds if we want to proof there is 4million people are femine in Somalia,i think the Somalis are brain washed to realize westren probaganda,what westren hated is who is on the real path(practise islamic monetheism) and they acheived their Goals as long as we bleived the Alshabab group is Argagixiso and we bleived that World food poisioning are helping us when they went in Somalia for business purpose and spying who is really tru bleivers,we have been 20 years to accuse each other with dictating our enemy!those who wants to dismantle and devide Somali so many territory that against each other like Puntland and Somaliland.
so Brother we have to feel shame to call our self or part of us terrorist,some of the Somalis are writting comments very proudly Alqacida and USA are facing war in Somalia but they forget who will be killing there is Somalis and the Kafirun will be very delightfull when Some Muslims or Somalis are dying in Somalia.
waa meeshu c/laahi suldaan timacade ka yiri maxaa iiga gidhiisha london baa gubaneysa!
Mahadsanid
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