From: antbh@strix.udac.uu.se (Bernhard Helander)
Newsgroups: alt.activism.d
Subject: Re: NLNS: Cynical Manipulation of Hunger
Date: 24 Jan 93 22:24:22 GMT
Organization: Uppsala University
NNTP-Posting-Host: strix.udac.uu.se

This is my third attempt to respond the stuff contained in an article
emaninting from something calling itself the Red Baloon. I had no
idea that this news groups was censored, but apparently it is. Soc.
religion.islam is too, when I potested against an article calling for more 
arms to the fundamentalist faction in somalia the "moderator" sent
it back to me on account of being "non-islamic".

The "cynical manipulation of hunger"-article is stuffed with half-truths, lies
and misunderstandings. Now, I can understand the worry that US so-called
progressive elements feel over the Marines presence anywhere outside of
their training camps. However, that worry does not allow us to fiddle
about with truths. 

As much as I respect professor Samatar at Rutgers one has to see his
statement on the extent of the Somalia famine in perspective. It is true
that the famine is "limited" to about a fourth of Somalia's territory 
but that quarter happens to be the most densely populated part. Roughly
about two millions inhabit the area between the two southern rivers 
Juba and Shabeele.

As most people I was deeply saddened by the news of Rakiya Omaar's dismissal
from Africa Watch, yet, having seen some of here taped TV-performances 
in which she - defending her position that no intervention was called for -
argues that the looting is negligable and starvation fairly limited, I can
understand that the board of AW got fed up.

The looting rates prior to the intervention of the International task force
were unacceptable. ICRC's internal memos mention already in 1991 that more
than 50% of their shipments vanixhed before reaching the target population.
Much of what was looted wnet to, as it was said, hungry stomachs, but 
significant portions of looted food disappeared into Kenya where it was
exchanged for weapons and ammunition. In the autumn of 1992 most agencies
openly admitted looting rates of more than 60 %. The only exception to this
was UK Save the Children, who surpisingluy in a November statement argued
that 95% of their food reached its targets. That statement came only 
three weeks after a BBC interview in which a UK StC spokesman had 
complained over the bad security and high looting rates. Murray Watson,
a Somalia long-timer, has described the UK StC operation in Somalia as
"an experiment". 

The presence of the international task force has not "created problems".
It has sovled some partially. It is now possible to send food via 
land-based routes to the interior. That was not possible prior to their
arrival. The security situation remains critical in major cities but it
is better now than before.

I lived in a Somali village when the IMF policies begun to be implemented in 
late 1984. There has been no single event in recent Somali history that has
had a similarly positive effect upon the agrcicultural production. 
When the "real-politik" system prevailed a large number of fields were 
left fallow because the state prices for the produce were far below the 
production costs. With the arrival of IMF ban on state monopoly those 
fields were planted again.

I understand to little of US politics to argue agains the proposition that
the US goals behind operation restore hope is to establish military
bases. But, I see it as strange that Pentagon would abandon the bas they had 
up toDecember 1990 only to put in this massive force to regain it one and a 
half years later! As an outsider it seems much more plausible that 
the Pentagon were trying to do some "good deeds" to defend their
part of the federal budget. Again, as an outsider I don't see anything
wrong in that, governments and brfanches of governments after all are
supposed to look after their national interests. 




-- 
*****************************************************************************
*                                  *                                        *
* Bernhard Helander                * Telephone: +46-18-182289 (office)      *
* Dept of Cultural Anthropology    *            +46-18-303448 (home)        *
* University of Uppsala            *                                        *
* Tradgardsgatan 18                * Fax:       +46-18-151160 (office)      *
* S-753 09 Uppsala                 *            +46-18-303448 (home)        *
* Sweden                           *                                        *
*                                  * E-mail: Bernhard.Helander@antro.uu.se  *
*                                  *                                        *
*****************************************************************************