A Somali woman tends to her seven year-old son who was wounded by a stray bullet on May 24, 2009 as they sit inside a medical tent that was set up by Ugandan soldiers at one of their bases in Mogadishu, Somalia. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)
SEE ALSO: United Nations’ Quarterly Cluster Report on the Humanitarian Response on Somalia UNDP report on the Somali Diaspora
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Somalia is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in years. Millions of Somali rely on the UNs World Food Programme but just how much food actually reaches them? We reveal the shocking truth.
A skinny ribcage, huge eyes and thighs thin as arms two year old Shukri is dying, and hes not alone. One in three Somali children is malnourished. I cannot move because of hunger, says a mother.
Forty-five thousand tons of aid arrive each month in Mombasa, but most of it gets siphoned off at the warehouse: You can buy as much as you like. A ton or half a ton a day can be shifted discreetly, this trader confesses. Its shockingly easy to go to the WFP office and claim food for a fictitious camp. Goods that make it to real camps are often taken straight back to Mogadishu to be sold on the market. A witness claims: They bring the food here to prove it’s been delivered, offload a small amount and take the rest back with them! The WFPs tragic lack of control over the food chain is killing those its meant to save.
Clip and info courtesy of JourneymanPictures
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Relief Agencies Urge Obama to Step Up Aid for Somalia
Washington, DC 21 Apr 2009 – Six aid agencies today urged the Obama administration to consider humanitarian needs in its policy review on Somalia. As the latest piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia capture the world’s attention, humanitarian organizations warned that the country remains in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis. More than three million people are in need of emergency assistance inside the country and half a million Somali refugees have fled to neighboring countries.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia is one symptom of appallingly low levels of socio-economic development indicators, as well as almost two decades of a political vacuum inside the country. The undersigned agencies, with decades of experience working on Somalia, are concerned about the devastating humanitarian crisis and the inadequate international response. Recent events should not deter from tackling the underlying causes of this crisis that has driven millions of Somalis from their homes.
The recent high-jacking of American maritime assets should be an opportunity for renewed constructive U.S. engagement. In the search for long term solutions to counter piracy acts, the Obama administration must prioritize the welfare of the Somali people. A comprehensive U.S. policy response must include robust humanitarian funding for programs inside the country, as well as assistance to neighboring countries where Somalis have fled, including Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
The humanitarian crisis requires massive support from the international community, and in particular the U.S. The consolidated humanitarian appeal for 2009 amounts to US$918 million. So far, only US$251 million has been raised, including US$91.9 million by the U.S. government, possibly threatening aid agencies to scale back life saving programs in parts of the country. President Obama must work with U.S. allies to ensure that the Somali people receive life sustaining food, water and shelter.
American Friends Service Committee
International Rescue Committee
Mercy Corps
Oxfam America
Refugees International
World Concern
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