Somalia's al-Shabab Islamists have denied lifting their 2009 ban on Western aid agencies and say UN reports of famine are sheer propaganda. The UN on Wednesday said that parts of Somalia were suffering a famine after the worst drought in 60 years. But a spokesman for al-Shabab, which has ties to al-Qaeda and controls much of the country, accused aid groups of being political. But the UN insists famine exists and it will continue its aid efforts. There have been hopes that International Aid agencies including the UN World Food Programme would soon be able to gain access to the drought affected areas of southern Somalia.