Saturday, May 19, 2006
British Red Cross
There are still massive humanitarian needs in Somalia despite the end of the drought, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The ICRC drought response – carried out in collaboration with volunteers of the Somali Red Crescent Society and funding from the British Red Cross – included the distribution of food, seeds and household items, together with water and sanitation projects and a livestock support programme.
The emergency operation focused on drought-affected areas across central and southern Somalia, particularly regions neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia, where traditional cross-border movements of pastoralists and their herds were disrupted by the lack of viable pasture.
“The Red Cross support came at the right time,” said Farah Mohamad Idow, who lives in the village of Marian Gubay in Lower Shebelle.
Mark Snelling reports from displaced persons camps in Somalia – 5MB MP3
“If you receive guests, you have to help them,” he said. “But our crops have failed too. We share what we have, but there is only so much we can cope with.”
The region, which lies between the Juba and Shebelle regions, was not the worst hit by the drought, but has had to accommodate about 20,000 people who have fled their homes from neighbouring areas. Somalia’s armed conflict has escalated in recent years presenting vast humanitarian problems exacerbated by the recent drought.
One more round of relief distributions is scheduled before the next harvest in July. Red Cross officials say that if the rainy season continues without interruption, food deliveries will then cease so as not to destabilise local grain markets.
“The emergency phase of our operation is now ending,” said Pascal Hundt, the head of the Somalia delegation of the ICRC. “Now that the rains have started, we are seeing an evolution of the situation into a recovery and rehabilitation operation.”
“The drought response was timely and multi-faceted but we must now adapt our response to the ongoing needs of ordinary Somalis,” he said.
Source: British Red Cross, May 19, 2006
