The Obama administration is assuring aid workers in the Horn of Africa that they won't violate U.S. laws if some of their food, medicine or money ends up in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked militants accused of worsening the region's famine.
| A big green light to the Widows Ammunition Fund... |
The revised U.S. guidelines don't lift any restrictions on the al-Shabab network, which controls southern Somalia and has been blamed for aggravating the impact of drought-driven famine by barring international aid workers from the area.
| So if any aid gets to al-Shabab they'll have to give it right back... |
The change responds to criticism by aid groups and other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that U.S. rules were making it harder to get food to starving Somalis. Those regulations have allowed for the prosecution of U.S.-funded aid groups if they pay taxes or tolls demanded by al-Shabab on roads in the area.
| Why not let the Euros take the lead on this one? Their laws and morals are a bit more .. flexible... |
"Our fundamental goal is recognizing the significance, the seriousness of the famine that's going on right now in the Horn of Africa and the fact that many of the individuals most affected are under areas controlled by al-Shabab," State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said today.
"We thought it was important to issue new guidance that would allow greater flexibility for NGOs and aid workers to get their assistance into those regions that are controlled by al- Shabab and to the people who need it," Toner said. |