The famine in Somalia has piled more misery on the people of a country wracked by a civil war for two decades. A famine alert is declared when two out of every 10 people have access to less than 2,100 calories; four out of 10,000 children, or two out of 10,000 people die every day; 30 per cent of the children suffer from acute malnutrition. The United Nations has declared that two regions in southern Somalia — southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle — are in the grip of a famine that is killing six out of every 10,000 children under the age of five every day. Nearly 3.7 million people are directly affected by the crisis, and over 2 million require emergency aid. A severe drought since 2009 in the Horn of Africa has affected three other countries — Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. But it is only in Somalia that the crisis has escalated to such severe proportions. As the eminent economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has shown, famines are man-made. From 1991, there has been no government in Somalia. The war has destroyed people's livelihoods. The U.N.-backed Transitional Federal Government controls only parts of the capital Mogadishu. Southern Somalia is controlled by al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate that contributed to the crisis by driving out international aid agencies two years ago on the suspicion they were western spies. Only in recent weeks has the group permitted these organisations back; some days ago, it also withdrew from parts of Mogadishu it controlled, leaving the capital fully to the TFG. This has allowed the U.N. to begin delivering some aid, but the security situation is still precarious and concerns are high that al-Shabaab might siphon off aid. The U.N. has called on the international community to contribute $300 million by mid-September to facilitate emergency assistance. It wants to raise $2 billion over the long term to pull the country out of the humanitarian disaster.
It is disquieting that New Delhi, which declared a comprehensive engagement with Africa just two months ago at the second India-Africa summit, has not yet responded to the unfolding crisis in Somalia. The silence surprises all the more considering that earlier this year the government appointed an envoy to the country, 20 years after the Indian Embassy closed down. At the May 2011 summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised $2 million to the African Union Mission for Somalia, which is helping the TGF to maintain control in Mogadishu. But making a significant contribution to the humanitarian effort is a more urgent, life-saving priority. It is time that economically rising India came off the benches on this one.
Keywords: Somalia famine, Somalia militancy
If not on humanitarian ground the GOI must extend an helping hand to famine stricken Somalia for steategic gain over China which is leaving no stones unturned to make its presence felt all across the African Union.This aid by GOI will send a strong message to all African Nations that we stand with them in all time of adversity & prosperity.This foresighted action will strengthen our already growing ties which will augur well for not only our industries & commerce but also will give boost to Global player status.
This excerpts is from "Awakening Hippocrates", published in 2006 by
the American Medical Association. The book is unanimously praised by
high profile figures within international health (president of Kellogg
Foundation, Chief of Social Science and Health Inequalities at Harvard
Medical School):
[[[.....In 1997, UN calculated that for a total of $40 billion per
year rich countries could cover the following for ALL the world's
people: basic healthcare and nutrition -$13 billion; water and
sanitation --$9 billion; basic education --$6 billion; and
reproductive health for women --$12 billion (United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) 1998, 37).....]]]] -------Awakening
Hippocrates, page 48.
why only India, all the countries of UN should provide their helping hands to Somalia..
Very true. ours is a country that had poet Bharati who would exhort us to destroy the whole world if even one person were to go hungry. Even pragmatism dictates that something serious has to be attempted and fulfilled by the U.N.to install a workable government that will ensure minimum law and order.In a country with no government worth the name for over 2 decades it is no wonder that precious life has become cheaper than dirt. The seeds of maritime piracy were sown in a country where the existence tomorrow is not certain. What gives the pirates such boldness? They have got everything to gain and nothing to lose except life of which no one is sure. We have read only in fantasy novels of such piracy that has gone unchecked and for such a long period of time. shame on the cowardice of the governments of the world, including India.
Somalia needs indias help at this critical juncture.people there are suffering and our country should take the initiative at the international level to solve that country from. The present malady.
Yes, India should help Somalia. But what about the farmers in India who are committing suicide on daily basis. Its sad time for humanity as a whole.
From last month am reading this news that somalia is facing severe famine and UN is calling for humanetarian assistance from all parts of the world.I don't understand that what is the reason that india is not responding.When we have record grain production and storage problem is such that millions of tons of food get distroyed in open.New delhi should have acted timely to help as much it can.We aspire to join security council and always pose ourselves as voice of devloping and LDC, but when it comes to action our leadership passes the buck.
The crisis in Somalia ,must be an eye opener for the complete world. This will also be true that a friend in need is a friend indeed . The countries of the world must jointly come up to help Somalia out of this social,political and economic crisis .
While it might sound right for the editorial bemoan India for its inaction, one should take into consideration that the even the UN has not been able to do anything in this regard. Even the Islamic brotherhood countries remain mum and inactive.China, with its large interests in the African continent, and with large commercial interests in Somaila and Sudan, also remains inactive. Why does the edtorial keep mum on this aspect? While on the subject, the step-motherly treatment meted out to Agriculture in India with the farmers' problems and suicides not being addressed and the rapid conversion of agricultural farmlands into residential sites does not augur well for a future India. Such famine and drought, as is prevalent in Somalia, could become a possibility in India. With its more than a billion mouths to feed, it is simply dreadful to even think of that scenario.
That the unfolding situation in Somalia has a direct bearing on India is evident from its heightened security response to ward off the threat of piracy, often resulting from political instability and social insecurity, in the Indian Ocean. The fact that the country is undergoing a serious humanitarian crisis should suffice to compel India to play a significant role along with the UN. A country that seems to be quite generous in doling out aids to the neighbouring countries in distress, for example, Afghanistan, cannot overlook the miserable plight of its another neighbour across the Arabian Sea, nor can it look at this possibility of extending aids through the prism of strategic gains.
Somalia is one of the failed states in the world -large parts of which are now controlled by terrorists who get their income mainly from piracy in the high seas. Under Clinton Administration the US sent military forces to eliminate the terrorists and establish some kind of civilian government in Somalia. The neighboring and some Arab countries through their proxies, fought the 'US efforts to invade an Islamic country' in Africa. They succeeded! The US forces - and with them any possibility of peace - left Somalia then and there. After that what those who countries who objected to "US presence in their backyard" do? Nothing. Their only aim was to keep the US away. Under the circumstances it will be of questionable wisdom for India to interfere when countries that are richer, closer and more directly involved with Somalia are staying away. Why risk adverse reaction from those good samartan neighbors?
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