20100810
africanews

Somali Islamist rebels have ousted three Christian aid agencies for spreading Christianity in the country. The Al-Qaeda linked group Al-Shabaab said that the World Vision, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and Diakonia must immediately leave the country.

"Acting as missionaries under the guise of humanitarian work the organizations have been spreading their corrupted ideologies in order to taint the pure creed of the Muslims in Somalia," Al-Shabaab said in a statement released on Monday.

Al-Shabaab warned that any other agencies promoting the Christianity will face "appropriate disciplinary measures."

World Vision office in Nairobi said that the group seized their three offices - Duale, Baidoa and Wajid- in southern Somalia.

World Vision Somalia's spokeswoman, Amanda Koech, said that her organization was surprised to receive Al-Shabaab's order to close down.

"World Vision is a Christian organization motivated by Christian values to help the needy in the society. While World Vision recognizes the need to remain impartial in responding to the needy, by policy World Vision is prohibited to proselytize in its work," she said in a statement.

The World Vision does not have any international staff in southern Somalia, and all the staff are Somali and primarily Muslim, according to Koech.

The Horn of Africa nation has not had an affective government since warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.