Medeshi 4 Oct, 2008Insurgents in Somalia Issue a Warning to 2 Western Aid Groups
A spokesman for the insurgents accused CARE and the International Medical Corps of having committed “crimes against Islam and the jihad.”
Since this feed article is very short, here's an excerpt from its web site: MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been left without basic health care after Islamic militants forced one Western aid group to suspend some operations and threatened another on Friday. Meanwhile, Somalia’s civilian death toll continued to climb.
The last two weeks have been especially bloody, with the United Nations estimating that more than 80 civilians have been killed in Mogadishu, the capital, alone. Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the United Nations humanitarian office in Geneva, said that more than 100 people had been wounded in the same period.
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In recent months the insurgents have staged a series of hit-and-run attacks on several towns, and they hold Somalia’s third largest city, Kismayo. On Friday, a statement by a spokesman for the insurgents, Sheik Muqtar Robow, accused the Western aid agencies, CARE and the International Medical Corps, of having committed “crimes against Islam and the jihad.” The statement warned the agencies to leave areas controlled by the Islamists.
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“I am warning other agencies in Somalia to not get involved in areas outside their job,” Sheik Robow said. “If they are found, they will face suspension of operations.”
A spokeswoman for the International Medical Corps, Margaret Aguirre, said that the agency had suspended work in southern Somalia last week after insurgents looted four of its offices in the regions of Bakool and Bay. No staff members were hurt in the attacks, she said.
“We’re deeply concerned about the impact of these incidents on people who are already suffering,” said Ms. Aguirre in a telephone interview from the agency’s headquarters in California.
The agency’s medical clinics in the region serve more than 370,000 people, 53,000 of whom are children under the age of 5. Ms. Aguirre, citing security concerns, declined to say how many staff members worked for the organization in Somalia.
CARE did not return phone messages seeking comment. Its Web site says that CARE provides clean water, sanitation and health programs, and that it seeks to improve agricultural practices.
Both the insurgents and the government have threatened Western aid agencies previously, although it is unusual for particular agencies to be singled out. Twelve aid workers have been killed this year in Somalia and nearly 20 have been kidnapped.
Even peacekeepers have found themselves to be targets. On Thursday night, insurgents attacked a contingent of African Union peacekeepers from Burundi, killing two civilians and injuring 19, said Ruqiyo Shafi’i, who lives near the African Union’s base in southern Mogadishu. A spokesman for the African Union, Barigye Bahoku, said no peacekeepers had been killed or wounded in the attack.
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A spokesman for the insurgents accused CARE and the International Medical Corps of having committed “crimes against Islam and the jihad.”
Since this feed article is very short, here's an excerpt from its web site: MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been left without basic health care after Islamic militants forced one Western aid group to suspend some operations and threatened another on Friday. Meanwhile, Somalia’s civilian death toll continued to climb.
The last two weeks have been especially bloody, with the United Nations estimating that more than 80 civilians have been killed in Mogadishu, the capital, alone. Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the United Nations humanitarian office in Geneva, said that more than 100 people had been wounded in the same period.
...
In recent months the insurgents have staged a series of hit-and-run attacks on several towns, and they hold Somalia’s third largest city, Kismayo. On Friday, a statement by a spokesman for the insurgents, Sheik Muqtar Robow, accused the Western aid agencies, CARE and the International Medical Corps, of having committed “crimes against Islam and the jihad.” The statement warned the agencies to leave areas controlled by the Islamists.
...
“I am warning other agencies in Somalia to not get involved in areas outside their job,” Sheik Robow said. “If they are found, they will face suspension of operations.”
A spokeswoman for the International Medical Corps, Margaret Aguirre, said that the agency had suspended work in southern Somalia last week after insurgents looted four of its offices in the regions of Bakool and Bay. No staff members were hurt in the attacks, she said.
“We’re deeply concerned about the impact of these incidents on people who are already suffering,” said Ms. Aguirre in a telephone interview from the agency’s headquarters in California.
The agency’s medical clinics in the region serve more than 370,000 people, 53,000 of whom are children under the age of 5. Ms. Aguirre, citing security concerns, declined to say how many staff members worked for the organization in Somalia.
CARE did not return phone messages seeking comment. Its Web site says that CARE provides clean water, sanitation and health programs, and that it seeks to improve agricultural practices.
Both the insurgents and the government have threatened Western aid agencies previously, although it is unusual for particular agencies to be singled out. Twelve aid workers have been killed this year in Somalia and nearly 20 have been kidnapped.
Even peacekeepers have found themselves to be targets. On Thursday night, insurgents attacked a contingent of African Union peacekeepers from Burundi, killing two civilians and injuring 19, said Ruqiyo Shafi’i, who lives near the African Union’s base in southern Mogadishu. A spokesman for the African Union, Barigye Bahoku, said no peacekeepers had been killed or wounded in the attack.
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