From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: SOMALIA: RELIEF AGENCIES SWING INTO
Date: 29 Aug 92 20:12:34 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Reference: Agriculture
Title: SOMALIA: RELIEF AGENCIES SWING INTO ACTION


an inter press service feature

by horace awori

mogadishu, aug 22 (ips) -- at least 1,000 people die each day in
somalia, and 1.5 million are on the brink of starvation
according to relief agencies striving to staunch the
haemorrhaging of this drought-stricken and war-torn nation.

''we are already at a stage when people are dying like
flies'', patrick vial, coordinator of a french charity,
'medecins sans frontiers (msf)' in mogadishu, the somali
capital, told ips this week.

unless thousands and thousands of tonnes of food are shipped
into the country, a fifth of the population in mogadishu may die
in the next six months, says vial. the city's residents were
estimated at two million before civil conflict broke out over a
year ago.

''this situation is worse than ethiopia in 1985 (when famine
wiped out one million people in the neighbouring country)'', the
msf official added.

''even though the food is not going to where we want it to go
because of security problems, we must not stop it being
brought'', says david shearer of save the children fund (scf) in
mogadishu.

many relief agency officials believe that food availability
is the answer to both malnutrition and security problems now
posed by bands of armed youngsters. food is the most important
commodity in the famine-stricken country.

until last week, the international committee of the red
cross, world vision international, msf and scf were the main
organisations sending in about 25,000 tonnes of a food a month.
however, the amount was hardly sufficient for the millions
affected by the drought and the four-year civil war in the east
african country.

the united nations' world food programme started aug. 15
a major food airlift into mogadishu, kismayu, berdera and
baidawa, the most affected areas of the country. france has also
launched a 10-day operation to ferry at least 20,000 tonnes of
food from djibouti to baidawa.

after being accused of favouring victims of the conflict in
sarajevo and overlooking a similar situation in the horn of
africa, the united states has started a relief operation for
somalia. u.s. airforce transport planes will ferry 145,000
tonnes of food from kenya's port of mombasa to south and western
somalia, and to refugees in north-eastern kenya. (more/ips)


somalia: relief (2)

the u.s. airlifted 10 tonnes of split beans to the kenyan
town of wajir friday from food stocks already in mombassa in an
operation organised by the u.s. military. direct flights to
somalia are expected to begin in the next few days.

meanwhile, u.n. special envoy to somalia mahamed sahnoun has
called on warring factions in the country to ensure the security
of humanitarian operations now under way.

on the distribution of emergency relief food, united somali
congress (usc) vice chair abdi farah told ips: ''we are
committed to work for the people, especially those most affected
in the devasted areas in the south (the last stronghold of
ousted president siad barre)''.

according to farah, the death rate in these areas ''is very
high and some of the people are just too weak to bury their
dead''.

general mohamed farah aideed, leader of a usc faction, has
also agreed to let in an infantry battalion of 500 pakistani
blue berets recommended by the u.n. security council to guard
the humanitarian aid efforts.

but interim president ali mahdi, also chair of the usc, would
like to see a stronger u.n. presence in the country. at least
15,000 u.n. troops ''are needed to help in the distribution of
food because there is a total collapse of the system in the
country'', he told ips.

speaking from his encalve in northern mogadishu, mahdi
admitted the inability of his administration to control the
situation in the somali capital.

''it is a pity that the international community never
responds quickly enough to emergencies'', a u.n. official in
somalia who declined to be named told ips.

''we warned of dire consequences (of drought and war) as early
as july last year, but somehow we were not taken seriously until
now and after the deaths of thousands of people who need not
have died if there had been an immediate respose.

''we moved out of somalia when the factional fighting started
and have only come back. but the ngos remained and it is thanks
to them that lives have been saved'', the u.n. official added.

some non-governmental organisations have criticized u.n.
agencies and the international community for failing to act
as quickly as they could. ''but this is not a time for
recriminations. a lot remains to be done and this calls for
cooperation and goodwill from all'', an icrc official said.
(end/ips/ha/ar/oa/92)


-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african