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Monday, July 18, 2011

African nations urged to respond to drought crisis as UN begins airlifts

The African Union and its members have been criticised for failing to act as the UN begins flying in aid to southern Somalia, which is devastated by drought.


The UN is flying emergency supplies into southern Somalia
• Sudan and Kenya are only African countries that have responded to crisis
• Drought is the worst in 60 years in Horn of Africa

The United Nations has begun efforts to airlift supplies to refugee camps and areas in need of help during the worst drought in 60 years in the Horn of Africa, while pressure is mounting on major African countries to act.

The United Nations Children’s Fund has airlifted emergency nutritional supplies and water-related equipment to Baidoa in southern Somalia, the group said in a statement.

It is in the south of the country that 80% of Somalia’s malnourished children are located.

A series of emergency airlift flights also arrived in Kenya Sunday, bringing tent material for the Dadaab refugee camp at the Kenya-Somalia border where thousands of displaced Somalis have been arriving every day for weeks.

Refugee camps on the Somali border with Kenya and Ethiopia are suffering from “deplorable” conditions due to over-crowding a US official in the region confirmed.

He also expressed concern over the security situation regarding the al Qaeda proxy Al-Shabaab militant group, which recently lifted a ban on aid groups in the country due to the severity of the drought.

Some 10 million people are affected across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan and parts of Uganda, however, southern Somalia and northern Kenya are the worst-hit.
The United Nations has announced that the World Food Program has received around 60% of the US $500 million it has appealed for to provide help to the 10 million people at risk of starvation and associated diseases.


Arab Herald

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