Terrorist Organization Al-Shabaab Bans The Use Of Plastic Bags.
Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist organization based in Somalia announced that plastic bags are banned from areas under their control. Known for deadly attacks across East Africa the group has banned plastic bags to protect both humans and animals. The official announcement was made via Radio Andalus a station they control and their primary source of delivering information to the public. The Somali based militant Islamist group has shown that it is interested in environmental issues, they also banned the logging of rare trees on land that they control, and in 2016 the Yemeni branch of al-Shabaab slammed former US President Barack Obama for failing to adequately combat climate change. In 2017, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said Afghans should plant more trees because of their “important role in environmental protection, economic development and beautification of Earth”.
According to Independent one of the terrorist organization's regional leaders, Mohammad Abu Abdullah, called plastic bags a “serious” threat to humans and livestock and said the waste they create is bad for the environment. No one mentioned the punishment for violating the new rule, but the BBC notes, the group’s orders are usually followed due to the severity of punishments for other offences.
To the casual observer this story may seem ridiculous but in my opinion its no more ridiculous than throwing people in cages for smoking a plant, or selling fruit, crossing an imaginary line, just a state being a state, or rather criminals attempting to establish a government. All governments are terrorist groups, some are just better at hiding it, and concealing their murders behind a veil of patriotism and humanitarian intervention. One should consider the reality and implications of living in a time and place where a 3rd world terrorist group cares more for the environment than the ruling establishment of most first world nations.