Feb
27
Unicef pleas Somalia’s children not to be forgotten
February 27, 2008 | | 1 Comment
By Emily Tsang
The international limelight rarely puts Africa on global stage. Even when it does occasionally missed the media heavy weighted continents, (like how Kenya and Sudan have been hitting international headlines this week), everyone else seems to have carefully forgotten the 4 million children who are currently shattered by war, disease and famine in Somalia – the place where being named as the world’s worst place for child.
The Somalia conflict, which Christian Balslev-Olesen from Unicef has recently described as “the forgotten crisis”, is apparently being underreported and lack of proper concern. It is “forgotten” – probably because it has never been remembered intently. For those who are living in Hong Kong, how many of us could recall a single image of Somalia reported by the media? And how many college students could correctly locate the whereabouts of Somalia on a world map? Hollywood blockbuster fans may be able to recall how the Somalia capital is being called “the messy honeycomb” in Black Hawk Down, – and for a legitimate reason. Mogadishu has seen endless years of fighting by rival militia since the collapse of Somalia government in 1991. Seventeen years of civil violence and lawlessness have led Mogadishu to the top as one of the most hazardous cities in the world. The Government has been unable to settle the instability in and around Mogadishu for many years. The city is mostly governed by clans, and factions; not the Somali government. The absence of state means an extremely high level of crime rate with rampant street violence, murder, rape and occasional bombing. It is also the world’s most insecure place for humanitarian staff to work. Despite the chaos, most world superpowers are watching in silence.
Residents are trapped for long periods in their homes, fearing they would be shot if they emerged. They cannot even go out to buy food, and there was no clean water supply. Once they had the chance, they tried to run away from the fighting. Aid workers estimate that 100,000 people- around 60% of the city’s population- are displaced, mostly fleeing from the Ethiopian tanks that have taken up positions outside the houses of the hundreds of thousands of residents. Without other sources of living hood, these refugees are all depending on local and international aid agencies for help. Every morning destitute Somalis line up in their thousands to receive aid from Unicef. If they are lucky, they may receive a handout of corn, beans and oil as one meal for that day. ”Sometimes the food runs out and sometimes the agencies do not come”, complains Fadumo Khalif, a 26-year-old pregnant mother in an BBC interview, with a baby strapped to her back. As they struggle to survive worsening food shortage, there is yet to see an exit to end all sufferings.
Balslev-Olesen warned that without extra funding, emergency feeding programmes could be closed down next month leaving all these refugees homeless, jobless and foodless. Unicef fears that 2008 could be the worst-ever year for Somalia’s children. It is urgently seeking $5.8 million to treat children at risk in Somalia. (to make a donation for Unicef, click here)However, though emergency relief is essential in helping Africa, I believe there are more to be done to restore orders in Somalia. There is no easily enforceable way for outsider to impose some sensible conditions within. It may cause a great deal of money and political energy, which good intentions alone may not be enough to direct a right path to proceed from a bustling ruin as such. But things have to be done.
In my article next week, I am going to analyse some of the reasons behind a disputed Africa, the prospect and way out for Somalia, and who should it be looking up to for its future.
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Thanks for drawing attention to this issue- look forward to your next post.