Mogadishu (Sunatimes) The Somali government has strongly condemned Al-Shabaab’s sanction on Mahaday district in Middle Shabelle region.

In a press statement, the government said it condemns in the strongest terms possible, the sanction imposed on the already ailing local population in the district. It said the militia banned the locals from their daily livelihood activities like farming, herding and conducting their business for three days in retaliation of the killing of two militia men in the district.

According to the statement, locals resisting Al-Shabaab’s brutality in the district shot dead two militia men, prompting the embargo. The government called on people in the area to continue their struggle against the militant rule.

Somalia’s defence minister, who is also the acting Prime Minister, Hussein Arab Isse, called the sanction against the Mahaday people as ruthless, saying people are already bearing the brunt of drought and famine related crisis in the region.

He said it was inhuman to ban people from accessing humanitarian aids as well as sanctioning their only live earning activities while they are already starving.

He added that this is the time when Somali people needs to join hands with the government in efforts to free them from Al-Shabaab’s brutality.

The government vowed to respond to the call for "liberation" from Mahaday people, saying its forces together with African Union peacekeepers will not sit back while Somalis are suffering in the hands of an outlawed militant group.

By Abdisalan Abdulle