Hiiraan Online
Sunday, May 18, 2014
No commercial goods or humanitarian assistance is allowed to reach the city of Hudur, the provincial capital of the south-western region of Bakool, as Al Shabab militants who were driven out of the city are still enforcing a blockage.
The city was previously controlled by Al Shabab militants, but it was seized by Somali government forces backed by the Ethiopian contingent of AMISOM more than two months ago.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Militants have been denying humanitarian organizations and commercial commodities access to the city since then.
Salman Ibrahim Ali, a resident in the city told the BBC Somali service that no rations were imported into the city since it fell into the hands of Somali government on the 7th of March this year.
“All roads leading to the city are closed, vulnerable people here are experiencing very bad living standards” Salman said adding that lack of food and drinking water are going to claim the lives of more people if an emergency life-saving assistance is not met.
Since early this year, Somali government forces and AU peacekeepers seized more than 7 towns and villages from the militants, but people in those regions have been under increasing humanitarian crisis since then.
HOL English News Desk