AP: Somalia: Rebels Ban Relief Group From Their Territory – Militant Islamist rebels in Somali announced on Monday that they are banning another aid group from working in the south-central region of Somalia, hard hit by hunger. The Shabab banned Islamic Relief and accused the group of working with the UN’s World Food Program, which the militants don’t allow in their territory. A regional director for Islamic Relief explained that the ban would jeopardize their “work providing food, water, sanitation, health care and support for income generation to 1.3 million people in Somalia.”
NYTimes: Romney Strives to Stand Apart in Global Policy – Mitt Romney intensified his efforts to “draw a sharp contrast with President Obama on national security” in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute on Monday. Romney argued that he would take the U.S. “back to an earlier era,” with a foreign policy strategy that would result in the “restoration of a strategy that served us well for 70 years.” (David Sanger)
VOA: Boosting Africa’s Wheat Production – Agricultural experts are gathering in Addis Ababa this week to discuss strategies for making sub-Saharan Africa a major wheat producer. While wheat is the most important crop in North Africa, wheat production in the sub-Saharan region fell sharply in the 1980s due to an increase in food aid and falling international prices. (Joe DeCapua)
Devex: More clues on Mitt Romney’s foreign aid plans – In his speech on Monday in Lexington, Virginia, Romney sharply criticized Obama’s foreign policy and emphasized the need to “shift to a development program that embraces free enterprise, trade and good governance.” (Ivy Mungcal)
