Somali rebels ban aid group from its territory as Oxfam warns of water and food shortages
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Militant Islamist rebels in Somalia are banning an aid group from operating in rural areas, despite the residents' urgent need for food.
Al-Shabab said on Twitter Monday that it had banned the British-registered aid group Islamic Relief. The extremists accused the group of working with the United Nations' World Food Program, which the militants will not allow in its territory.
Al-Shabab has been forced out of Mogadishu, Kismayo and many smaller towns but the group still controls rural areas of south-central Somalia. It imposes strict Shariah law on Somalis who live there and allow only a few outside organizations to operate in its area.
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The aid group Oxfam, said Monday that water and food shortages in southern Somalia are at critical levels and likely to worsen in coming months.