From: antbh@strix.udac.uu.se (Bernhard Helander)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: Somalia: Worst Human Tragedy in the World
Date: 23 Jul 92 15:36:04 GMT
Organization: UDAC, Uppsala, Sweden
Hpath: strix!antbh


>/* Written  9:05 am  Jul 21, 1992 by peacenet in cdp:pn.alerts */
>/* ---------- "Worst Human Tragedy in the World" ---------- */
>From: <peacenet>
>Subject: Worst Human Tragedy in the World

>>From hrcoord Tue Jul 21 07:17:18 1992
>/* Written  6:11 pm  Jul 20, 1992 by dmorse in cdp:reg.africa */
>Urgent Press Release from the International Committee of the Red
>Crosee

>July 9---Citing hundreds of deaths a day from starvation, the
>International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today announced a
>new relief plan and appealed for an additional $66 million to
>bring urgently needed food and medical supplies to Somalia.  The
>greatest number of victims are children.

>"While much of recent attention has been given to former
>Yugoslavia, 4.5 million people in Somalia face horrible death by
>starvation unless something is done soon,: said Ann Stingle,
>American Red Cross staff person recently returned from Somalia.
>"Many of the children I saw are dead now and more are dying at
>this very moment. It is beyond anything I have ever witnessed."

>The malnutrition rate in Somalia is currently 78 percent at the
>severe, life-threatening level.  Overall malnutrition is 95%.
>According to exper3ts, these figures top that of Ethiopia during
>the 1984-1985 drought.

>The IC of the Red Cross has established 371 kitchens throughout
>the country providing one meal a day in an attempt to stave off
>famine.  Under the new appeal, the number will increase to 500
>kitchens, feeding 650,000 people.

>Since interclan fighting broke out in November, the Red Cross has
>been able to bri bring in only 64,000 metric tons of food because
>of security and logistics.  At least 30,000 tons are needed each
>month to avert wholesale starvation.

>..."Despite the enormity of the emergency, we have seen very few
>offers to help," said Stingle.  The tragedy unfolding in Somlia
>continues to go largely unnoticed by the media, the public and the
>international community.  Hundreds of thousands of lives depend on
>our capacity to care."

>...Peersons wishing to contribute to relief efforts in Somalia
>should send a check to the American Red Cross earmarked to "Somali
>Relief," Post Office Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.
>____________________________

>Personal note from dmorse:  the media should be REPORTING THIS.
>They aren't Could interested, sympathetic persons please call
>National Public Radio's Listener Comment Line (202-775-8686), tell
>them you read this Red Cross press release and ask for more and
>ongoing news from Somalia?  Another number to call and ask for
>reporting is MacNeil/Lehrer(703-998-2844).

>The Washington Post wrote a brief editorial about this in May.
>They called i it "the worst human tragedy in the world."

>A Boston Globe Reporter filed a horror story on Somali refugees in
>Yemen.  He called the catastrophe "one of the world's worst and
>most ignored disasters."

>Andrew Natsios, Assistant Administrator for Food and Humanitarian
>Assistance in USAID, called Somalia "the worst humanitrarina
>disaster in the world today."

>And we're hearing almost nothing about it!

>For more information from the Red Cross, Ann Stingle's number is
>(202)639-3395.  The contact person on the press release isBrian
>Ruberry (202)639-3395.

>Pardon my long posts and any mistakes in typing or network
>etiquette.  I'm new here, but signed up in part to get this urgent
>message out.