Starvation and violence stalk Horn of Africa

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/Starvation_and_violence_stalk_Horn_of_Africa.html?cid=30695474

Jul 16, 2011 - 18:27

by Samuel Jaberg, swissinfo.ch


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More than ten million people are caught up in the Horn of Africa crisis sparked by the worst drought in decades and compounded by intense fighting in Somalia.

In refugee camps in Dadaab in Kenya - where nearly 400,000 people are crammed together with more arriving every day – the situation is critical, the local Swiss coordinator of Doctors without Borders tells swissinfo.ch.

The UN warned earlier this week that it was struggling to keep up with an exodus of hungry Somali refugees and many emaciated children were dying of malnutrition along the way or after arriving in neighbouring countries.

In June alone, an estimated 54,000 Somalis fled their country, trying to escape heavy fighting between government forces and al Shabaab rebels and food prices that have quadrupled in recent months due to severe drought.

[midnight]

1. K&R There is enough for everyone....

[FLPanhandle]

2. This situation isn't going to go away soon either.

According to the UN between climate change, the political instability, over population, warring parties, and lack of infrastructure this isn't a short term issue. Donation fatigue has already set in and existing relief efforts are only a delaying action.

Expect to see this story go on for years.

Worse, we may be looking at our own future.

[pscot]

3. You should post this again

In energy and environment. This is environmental collapse. There's way too much talk over there about technical solutions that look right past what's going on now in the 3rd world.

[jwirr]

4. I agree too many people are so sure that everything is going to go

back to normal if only...... We are already way past going back to normal. No one is going to get Japan back to normal, the tsunami victims in the orient back to normal, New Orleans back to normal, the Gulf back to normal and we cannot easily push over population back to normal.

People like Kunstler are right we need to move forward and start dealing with the reality of the future. And I do not know if there are any answers for the Horn of Africa. Or for that matter our own drought damaged states in the Southwest.

I love Krugman and Reich but I wish just once they would talk about the effects of climate change, over population and oil depletion on the economic forecast. Just once.

[Forkboy]

5. Thank you for posting, Don.

K&R