Ethiopia: Government and NGOs must act quickly to avert a massive starvation and loss of life in the Somali region

03/18/08
    

Jijiga (kilil5)—The Somali regional state is in the midst of a severe famine that requires large scale emergence action from the Federal Ethiopian government and Non-governmental organization. More than 3.5 million out of the region are on the brink of starvation and death.

Some of the region’s pastoralists have already lost half of their animals to drought and their conditions are getting desperate. Limited water availability and lack of pasture for animals has resulted a large number of animals lost to drought. Skeletal carcasses have started to line the roads. Child malnutrition rates have increased as the animals are no longer producing any milk. Reports coming from Godey, Dhagaxbur, Wardheer, Fiiq provinces and Raaso region paint a groom picture and dire conditions for both humans and animals.

The prices of basic commodities in the region have sky-rocketed to the point where people can’t afford any of their basic food. The prices of essential commodities in the region have jumped more than 200% since last year alone. Food Aid which the majority of the region’s population depends on has not being reaching to most areas even though security has significantly improved for Aid distribution. Nobody knows why food Aid is not reaching these areas. When contacted by kilil5, WFP officials in Addis Ababa say that they are aware of the condition and the current famine already happening in the Somali region. WFP officials we contacted say that they are working to send food and emergency supply to the areas affected.

Federal government officials in Addis Ababa that we contacted also said that the federal government is coordinating with Aid agencies to send food, medicine and emergency supplies to people living in 7 provinces out of the region’s 9 provinces. However, federal officials that we talked refused to say whether the federal government will open the closed borders with Somalia, which is the source of the sky-rocketing food prices, which has pushed most of the essential commodities out of the reach of most families and has contributed significantly the severe food shortages in the region.

The region’s population enjoyed low prices for most of the essential goods and food items before the government’s crackdown on the Ogaden National Liberation Front in early 2007 after the rebel group killed 77 oil exploration workers in Cobole village. Since the crackdown, the government has closed all border crossing points, restricted the free movement of goods and people between Somaliland and the Somali region, and as a result, food prices and all other goods have sky-rocketed. The government has also restricted movement of goods and people into five provinces, making the conditions of those who live in these provinces even worse.

The governments restriction has affected the region’s chief export to Somaliland; animals. Livestock prices and demand have declined especially for goats and cattle. Since three quarters of the region’s population directly or indirectly depends on income from animal exports, falling prices and reduced income from animal exports have eroded people’s purchasing power, and in some cases, left them with zero income from their main source of income.

Seasonal Crops which a quarter of the region’s population depends on were stunted by an extended dry spell due to the failure of the rainy “Guga” rainy season. This compounded the problems caused by a lower than expected crop yield following the “Dayr” rainy season.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has appealed to western countries last week for immediate help and said that more than 9 million Ethiopians are at risk of death due to shortage of food supplies as a result of the drought which has affected four of the country’s regions. The prime minister said that this year’s drought could be worse than that of 1984-86 which killed more than a million people. The prime minister added that western nations shouldn’t under estimate his government appeal because they are not seeing on their TV people dying of the drought or the skeleton dying pictures of the 1984 famine. A number of aid agencies have also sent emergency appeals to their governments. So far, less than 11 million U.S dollars have been pledged by donor nations for the country.

The government must lift all restriction of movement of goods and services between Somaliland and the region. It must also lift restrictions and blockade of the provinces declared security zones to alleviate the hardships of the people and to bring down prices of essential goods. It must act quickly and with high speed and with purpose to deliver food to areas desperately needed to avert a looming disaster and mass deaths. The regional government must mobilize all its resources to supply food and water to the region’s pastoralist who are in dire need of water and food. It must act in a lightening speed to reduce the loss of life and animals which if not done within weeks, will result a massive loss of life both animals and humans.

Jijiga office
Kilil5 Online