U.N. begins food aid airlift to rebel-held Somalia, page 1
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Topic started on 18-7-2011 @ 05:55 PM by buni11687
news.yahoo.com...

It turns out that the rebels have decided to allow UN aid in.

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had started airlifting food aid to rebel-held parts of drought-hit Somalia and that Islamist insurgents had abided by a pledge to allow relief workers free access.


There is a massive drought in the area and it looks like the people may start going against the rebels if no help arrives.

Some analysts in the Horn of Africa region say the insurgents are allowing aid in for fear of a public backlash if they do not. Others say the rebels want to receive bribes.


The U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, began airlifting food and medicine into the city of Baidoa at the weekend using an airstrip that al Shabaab rebels had previously ordered off limits.


Im wondering, are the rebels,such as al Shabaab, trustworthy enough to not start attacking the aid workers? Didnt something similar happen back in 1993? Hopefully nothing bad happens this time.

Somalia has had no effective central government for two decades, worsening the impact of recurring droughts. The Islamist rebels, affiliated to al Qaeda, control pockets of the capital Mogadishu and swathes of southern and central Somalia.



reply posted on 18-7-2011 @ 07:02 PM by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by FermiFlux


Somalians certainly aren't all pirates, but we certainly don't need to sit around and debate what might happen if we become deeply involved in Somalia, either. We've seen this movie before, it started almost the same way and the ending was really bitter for the United States to take, given the whole circumstances involved. Unfortunately, Somalia has not only failed to get any better since we left, it's gotten worse with our well established buddies in Al Qaeda taking control.

You know it would be ironic, wouldn't it? The evidence all points to Al Qaeda trainers being there in the days leading up to the Battle for Mogadishu that was immortalized by the Black Hawk Down movie. Now almost 20 years later (geeze..has it been THAT long??) We're going back to where many would say the open and direct action against America began in recent times. Given the times we are watching in the world, it could all end while we back in the same land it began.

How is that for irony? Perhaps Obama can take some common sense on loan from someone and take a big pass on this one. Vietnam too for that matter. It's just incredible to believe we're got war ships back in Da Nang harbor.
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