Urgent Action Needed To Save Millions Of Somali Lives From Food And Drought Crisis

 Urgent Help Needed For Millions of People To Survive Somalia Food and Drought Crisis

It is the worst drought to devastate East Africa in more than 50-years.

Millions of people are facing disaster on an unprecedented scale unless the urgent calls for Governments to act immediately is heard to avoid the cruel deaths of millions of Somalis.

Aid workers in the area have praised the ordinary British people for their generous donations, but are sending out warnings that this will not be enough to help the 11 million people who have been severely affected in two areas of Somalia.

The present drought crisis in Somalia is equal to the 1984 Ethiopian famine which claimed the innocent lives of more than one million men, women and children.

“If we don’t act now famine will spread to all eight regions of Southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks.

“We still do not have the food, clean water, shelter and health services to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Somalis in desperate need.

“Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life and death for children and their families”, said the United Nations’  Humanitarian co-ordinator Mark Bowden.

United nations agencies have appealed for £1 billion which is so desperately needed to pay for vital programmes in the worst affected regions of East Africa but say that they have only received half of that amount.

Charity organisation Oxfam are accusing several European Governments of ‘wilful neglect’.

“There is no time to waster if we are to avoid massive loss of life.

“We must not stand by and watch this tragedy unfold before our eyes.

“The world has been slow to recognise the severity of this crisis but there is no longer any excuse for inaction”, said Oxfam.

Andrew Mitchell Secretary for UK International development said:

“Men women and children are dying.

“It is time for the whole world to help but sadly the response from many countries has been derisory and dangerously inadequate.

“Britain is playing is part with help for more than 2 million people across the Horn of Africa.

“Now others must do the same.”