SOMALIA: SENIOR UNITED NATIONS AID OFFICIALS FEAR THEAT U.S. MILITARY ACTION THREATENS TO DESTABILISE SOMALIA AS IT EMEGES FROM MANY YEARS OF ANARCHY AND FAMINE

Record ID: 338214

  • Title: SOMALIA: SENIOR UNITED NATIONS AID OFFICIALS FEAR THEAT U.S. MILITARY ACTION THREATENS TO DESTABILISE SOMALIA AS IT EMEGES FROM MANY YEARS OF ANARCHY AND FAMINE
  • Date: 10th February 2002
  • Summary: (W1)(GARBA HARRE, SOMALIA FEBRUARY 10, 2002, REUTERS, ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 1. SLV/CU OF HOSPITAL (2 SHOTS) 0.07 2. LV/SLV OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN STANDING OUTSIDE HOSPITAL WAITING FOR TREATMENT (2 SHOTS) 0.13 3. SV/CU WOMENA AND CHILDREN WAITING (5 SHOTS) 0.36 4. SV CHILD BEING GIVEN MEDICATION 0.40 5. CU OF BABY 0.43 6.
  • Embargoed: 25th February 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GARBA HARRE AND BAIDOA, SOMALIA
  • Country: Somalia
  • Reuters ID: LVAA7HXF9FD375CB1MO5IK6YSEI
  • Story Text: Senior United Nations aid officials fear that U.S.

    military action threatens to destabilise Somalia as it emerges
    from many years of anarchy and famine.

    They say that their programmes to provide food and other
    supplies were operating normally and expanding, though they
    are appealing to donor countries to give 83 million U.S.

    dollars for Somalia for the year 2002 to help ward off famine,
    and help in various development projects.



    Garba Harre Regional hospital, located in a remote area
    of Somalia, is always host to hundreds of mothers and their
    malnourished children - all aged under five. On a daily basis
    the mothers wait patiently under the scorching sun for their
    children to receive medical attention. Most of the children
    brought to the hospital suffer from malnutrition, anaemia,
    worms, dehydration and malaria.

    Most of the children suffer from malnutrition. However
    efforts by aid agencies like the World Food Programme are
    bearing fruit as they have been distributing grain to
    thousands of people in need of food.

    The hospital is also a point where the mothers are able to
    receive some nutritious supplements for their children.

    But for those who are not very lucky to make it to the
    hospital which is four to five days away on camel back, all
    they can do is wait for donor grain and oil in their villages.

    The World Food Programme has been assisting 780 families,
    who have been recipients of 50kg bags of maize and vegetable
    oil.

    "Drought is one of the main cause of food insecurity,
    compounded with the insecurity in the area. There has been
    several unrest in this area for the last three/four years and
    the situation has always been deteriorating. There has been
    lack of rain, farmers were not been able to cultivate their
    farms, they were not able to there is no grazing for their
    livestock, a lot of livestock moved from the area," says
    Maulid Warfa, from the World Food Programme.

    The food is mainly given to women, who are mostly
    accompanied by their children to the food distribution
    centres.

    WFP says to avoid scuffles at the feeding centre, every
    family that has arrived to get some food has to sit and wait
    until they have all received their rations. Once everybody has
    their food, then they can leave. This is the 'sit on your
    back' method of distribution.

    Somali people are traditionally pastoral nomads, but with
    the rainy seasons failing, the land is dry and their animals
    have been moved to areas of better pasture.

    Some areas of the chaotic country are still experiencing
    internal and external conflict and some of the men are in
    ragtag militias engaged in the fighting.

    During a recent visit to Southern Somalia, Carolyn
    McAskie, the U.N. deputy Emergency Relief Co-ordinator,
    mingled with the people, listening to their concerns, and also
    took time to meet the local authorities who also talked about
    their needs and discussed a way to proceed.

    "I think we have a real opening here to move forward. We
    have a tremendous opportunity here to show the Somali people
    the dividends of peace," she said.

    "The world is talking a lot now about the relation shop
    between development and peace. The United nations has a new
    peace building plan of action the secretary general has put
    in a tremendous amount of importance on prevention of
    conflict. I have seen a number of key members of the United
    Nations make statements about avoiding the next Afghanistan by
    making that investment in people. I would say that Somalia is
    a legitimate test case for that approach. It's an extreme test
    case, because there is very little here," added McAskie, whose
    mission to Somalia was to preach peace and security, as a
    fundamental building block to development investment.

    The U.S. and other coalition forces navy's are patrolling
    off the Somalia coast to stop entry of weapons and suspected
    terrorists entering Somalia, where the Bush administration
    fears Islamic militants may be based.

    The transitional government has been keen to show it is
    cooperating with the U.S. "war on terrorism", amid concern
    that Somalia could become a possible target. But it controls
    only a part of the capital Mogadishu and small parts of the
    rest of the country. Rival warlords who have vowed to bring it
    down control the rest.


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