UN Requests 1.4 Billion Dollars More to Save Horn of Africa

JOSÉ DOMINGO GUARIGLIA

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 1, 2011 (IPS) - More than 1.4 billion dollars are still needed to battle the drought that has hit the Horn of Africa, and in particular Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, UN Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, told reporters Monday

The drought and the lack of food in the Horn of Africa are affecting approximately 12.4 million people, and according to Amos, the famine that was declared in two regions of Somalia could spread to five or six areas if massive aid does not arrive in the next weeks.

She said what is happening in the Horn of Africa should be a "wake up call" and that the drought did not take anybody "by surprise". She also said that cooperation from foundations and private companies will be welcome.

In Somalia, the United Nations has encountered many obstacles providing aid to populations in need primarily due to the presence of armed groups. She said that number of affected people is increasing everyday and the strategy consists in delivering aid to Mogadishu directly.

Particularly, the most urgent aid is for Somali refugees who live in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

In Southern Kordofan, Sudan, there is no access for UN staff and the work of the humanitarian agencies is "extremely limited". "This will not be a short crisis", said Amos at an Emergency Ministerial Meeting in Rome last week. She predicted the emergency could last for three or four months, at least.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are working directly in the affected areas. The WFP has already airlifted food into zones of Somalia where access was limited.

The African Union also announced the possibility of a summit meeting of world leaders to discuss the situation in Somalia. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that nearly 1 billion dollars have been received so far from donors all over the world to combat the worst drought faced by Africa in 60 years. Approximately 1,300 Somali refugees arrive in Kenya and several hundred flee to Ethiopia every day. (END)