Aid ban in Somalia 'still in place' says al-Shabab

The Islamist militia in Somalia, al-Shabab, says it has not lifted a ban on foreign aid agencies in the large areas of the country under its control.

Speaking to the BBC, spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage says a UN report suggesting there is famine in the area is "utter nonsense and baseless".

The UN says conflict and poverty in Somalia have combined to produce the conditions necessary for an official declaration of famine.

Details of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) East Africa Crisis Appeal can be found at DEC.org.uk or call 0370 60 60 900 to donate.