From: Christic Institute <christic@igc.apc.org>
Subject: More On The Worst Human Tragedy
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 04:24:15 GMT

/* Written  9:07 pm  Jul 28, 1992 by peacenet in cdp:pn.alerts */
/* ---------- "More On The Worst Human Tragedy" ---------- */
From: <peacenet>
Subject: Re: More On The Worst Human Tragedy

From dmorse Tue Jul 28 17:23:25 1992
From: Dorothy Morse <dmorse>

I called that State Department number.  It is a general line for public
opinion.  A live woman seemed to listen and even to take notes.  She said
the calls are summarized and passed onto Secretary of State James Baker.
Please call if you can.
The number again is 1-202-647-4000.

Here is some background information from the New York Times, July 19:
"Red Cross officials say they believe that about 1/3 of Somalia's people,
estimated to number anywhere from 4.5 million to 6 million, are likely to die
within the next 6 months unless more food is pumped into the country."

(That's about 2 million people in 6 months, folks.  Please call the State
Department, call your congressperson, write your newspapers, call in to
radio talk shows.)

More from the Times:  the Somalians have had a traditional method of
coping with cyclical droughts and clan warfare, because the warfare was
simply carried on in rural areas with spears.  But now they have drought
and war together, and the clan war is carried on with modern military equipment
bestowed on them by the US in the 1980's and the Soviet Union in the 1970's,
decades when Somalia was of strategic interest to the superpowers. It is no
longer.  But their ancient ways of coping are gone; 25 percent of their
cattle are dead, and "untold numbers" of their camels.  Heavily armed gangs
steal grain and cattle, burn down fields so that sorghum cannot be planted.

"The Director of the United Nation's Children's Fund, Dr. Siad Mure Aden, pointed to
to countless children he said would die in the next few days, despite the one
feeding a day provided by UNICEF.
"Dr. Aden gestured toward one child, a shriveled 5-year-old named Manour, whose
father tried to warm him with the embers of a kerchief sized fire on the
grounds of the center.  "He will die," Dr. Aden said.  "There is no hope."

The Red Cross seeks to arrange safe passage for people who come to their
feeding kitchens, after their livestock and supplies are taken by the
armed gangs.

Although violence and technology have created the famine, the violence
escalates now because of lack of food.  An educated Somalian said, "You have
three choices: leave, work for a humanitarian organization, or grab a gun and
loot."  For this reason, some people want a UN Peacekeeping force in there.
Doctors Without Borders wants to saturate the area with food, stopping what
violence is caused by frantic people fighting over food. It's not
a question of either/or--everything possible should be done.

Finally, a top Red Cross official said:
"I thought I would never see Ethiopia again, and I DIDN'T THINK WE WOULD
ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN."

Why was it allowed to happen again?  The Red Cross predicted this disaster
6 months ago.  

For comparison purposes:  the UN is supposed to have 50 unarmed monitors on
the scene--the peacekeeping force sent to Yugoslavia is, I believe, 14,400

Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive