U.N. Official Warns of Humanitarian Crisis in Somalia
Mark Bowden, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, urged an effective response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the African country. 'If we are not able to respond rapidly, there will be many more lives lost as result of malnutrition,' Bowden said on Wednesday at the United Nations.
Somalia has the highest rates of malnutrition in Africa, and 30 percent of children are suffering from global and acute malnutrition. 'The major cause has been the problem of food prices increase. Prices have gone up 270 percent in the past year,'said Bowden. This happens in a country where population is dependent on the marketplace for their survival.
Somalia is enduring a drought that is affecting the whole country, but it still drags the effects of last year's drought. This and international food price rises have created the crisis. 'Large proportions of the population, both urban or rural, are not in the position to meet the food needs, and the levels of distress are increasing throughout the country,' Bowden stated.
To make things worse, the south of Somalia is facing another additional problem. The area is held by Al Shabaab, a rebel group that fights against Somali government forces, which makes access to the area much harder. Bowden claimed that while it is difficult to get food into the area, health and supplementary aid are easier to provide.
Bowden said that his challenge is to increase programmes that will have a fast and successful effect on the region. 'The aim is to make a difference to the economy of the area, that will manage to have an impact on the very high rates of malnutrition and stop the levels of migration that, in themselves, increase people's risk of death through disease and the economic hardships involved in moving from one place to another.'
However, resources are not adequate, Bowden said. 'We have an appeal that is only at the moment 40 percent met; and some of the key sectors that are needed to protect and save the lives of people in Somalia are not addressed at all.'
The consequence is a lack of resources that inhibit the performance of a humanitarian community in a position to do more. Bowden announced the presence of reports from international agencies that state that levels of malnutrition, even among adults, are increasing rapidly. 'Unless we are able to take action now, I think we are likely to see not just migration, but a level of deaths in Somalia that takes us back almost 20 years,' he concluded.
© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
Where next?
Browse related news topics:
Read the latest news stories:
- Civil Society Scores LGBTQI+ Rights Victory in Dominica Monday, May 06, 2024
- 1.8 Million More Palestinians Doomed to Poverty if Gaza War Persists Monday, May 06, 2024
- LDCs Need Concessional Grants, Not Loans, Say Experts Monday, May 06, 2024
- Peace or war, midwives keep delivering Sunday, May 05, 2024
- Trafficking in the Sahel: Cracking down on illicit drugs Sunday, May 05, 2024
- First Person: Women in Madagascar too ashamed to seek help giving birth Sunday, May 05, 2024
- ‘Moral obligation’ of Haitian NGO worker to carry on despite kidnapping of two children Saturday, May 04, 2024
- ‘Our voices need to be included’: Trinidadian youth make case for strong role in climate negotiations Saturday, May 04, 2024
- Media Freedom Declining Across Europe, With Implications for Rule of Law Friday, May 03, 2024
- Pillay: Israel is helped by ‘powerful States’ in violation of Palestinians’ rights Friday, May 03, 2024
Learn more about the related issues: