Millions of Somalis Facing Starvation: Govt Report

The Somali transitional government said on Tuesday millions of Somalis are at risk of starvation and famine in the very near future, calling for international help.

There is a humanitarian disaster forthcoming to millions of Somalis, ministers and deputy ministers of information, planning and agriculture said at a press conference here on Tuesday.

In their joint press conference, they noted that 60,000 tons of food including cereals, oil, beans, sugar, wheat are needed immediately.

This is the first time for the transitional government of Somalia to make such a serious outcry for international assistance.

According to a study made by the Ministry of Agriculture, all regions along the boundaries with Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya are facing serious shortage of food following the absence of adequate rainfalls in the past two seasons.

The rain failure in the country has severely affected the cereal production, livestock grazing and water availability, posing a threat to the livelihood of the people who are already experiencing high levels of malnutrition.

The government report also shows that the main revenue-making sectors of the country such as the export of livestock and banana have both been crippled during the civil war.

Therefore, the report said the country does not have any kind of income especially hard currency to fight the inflation and import the necessary food items and medicine.

Ahmed Dahir Adan, deputy minister of Agriculture, said the recent outbreak of fighting in the Middle and Lower Jubba regions has also had a very serious negative impact on the local crop production.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the recent fight for control of the southern port town of Kismaio between the rebel forces and those pro-government troops.

Worst of all is the introduction of landmines in the region which has seriously discouraged farmers from going back to their farms.

The ministers appealed to the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the donor countries to help Somalia before it is too late.

Minister of Information Zakaria Mohamud Hajji Abdi said the situation will go out of control unless an emergency supply of food and medicine assistance is brought to the country.






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