Famine could rip through Somalia as soon as April, UN warns

Somali children are seen within the Iftin Camp for the internally displaced people outside Baradere town, Gedo Region, Jubaland state, Somalia. (Reuters/File Photo)
Somali children are seen within the Iftin Camp for the internally displaced people outside Baradere town, Gedo Region, Jubaland state, Somalia. (Reuters/File Photo)
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Updated 14 February 2023
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Famine could rip through Somalia as soon as April, UN warns

Famine could rip through Somalia as soon as April, UN warns
  • Adam Abdelmoula, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the country, told Arab News the current drought is unprecedented in country’s history
  • The UN is seeking $2.6 billion in donations to fund aid for 8 million Somalis, amid calls for donors to “front-load their support”

NEW YORK CITY: The UN is seeking $2.6 billion to help 8 million people in Somalia as the country once again finds itself on the brink of widespread famine, as a result of overlapping crises including prolonged drought, conflict, insecurity, high food and water costs, and mass displacement.

Though the attention of the world has gradually returned to the country following similar dire warnings last year, this has not resulted in additional funding for the humanitarian response there.

Adam Abdelmoula, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, described the drought currently ravaging the African nation as “truly unprecedented” and said more than 700,000 people are expected to experience catastrophic hunger.

“The 2011 famine that killed 360,000 people was the result of three consecutive failed rainy seasons,” he told Arab News. “Now, we have already sailed past five failed rainy seasons — and that should tell you where are we at the moment.

“Don’t listen to those who tell you that this is the worst drought in 40 years; this is the worst drought in Somalia’s recorded history, period.”

After the famine in 2011, the international community said “never again,” Abdelmoula pointed out, adding: “If we truly want to honor that promise, there is no time to lose. Every delay in assistance is a matter of life or death for families in need.”

The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia, unveiled last week by the UN, its humanitarian partners and the Somali government, includes the appeal for $2.6 billion in donations to help more than 8 million people in dire need of help and protection for their survival. That is almost half the population of the country, and women and children account for 80 percent of those in need.

Launching the appeal in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Abdelmoula said 3.8 million people in the country are internally displaced, one of the highest figures in the world. The majority were driven from their homes by conflict and climate shocks.

Such high levels of displacement, he said, exacerbate already limited access to basic services. An estimated 8 million people, for example, lack access to safe water supplies, sanitation and hygiene services at a time when disease outbreaks are on the rise compared with recent years.

Meanwhile, about 2 million Somali children under the age of five are likely to face acute malnutrition, including more than half a million likely to be severely acutely malnourished. Such high rates of acute malnutrition increase the risk of diseases and death from preventable causes such as cholera, measles and acute diarrhea. Less than a third of people in areas affected by drought have access to medical care.

More than 6 million people are likely to face high levels of acute food insecurity through March this year, said Abdelmoula, and the number is expected to increase to 8.3 million between April and June amid an anticipated reduction in funding for humanitarian assistance.

Although humanitarian aid contributions helped prevent the famine threshold from being surpassed last year, as had been projected, Abdelmoula pointed out that “the distinction between a declared famine and what millions of Somalis are already experiencing is truly meaningless.”

He added: “They are already going hungry. Children are starving. The underlying crisis has not improved and even more appalling outcomes are only temporarily averted.

“Famine is a strong possibility from April to June this year, and of course beyond, if humanitarian assistance is not sustained and if the April-to-June rains underperform as currently forecast.”

The 2022 humanitarian response plan for Somalia was only 67 percent funded, Abdelmoula said.

“And I hasten to say that 80 percent of that funding came from a single donor country, and that’s the United States,” he added. “And the US made it clear, again and again, that that was a one-off.”

The EU provided 10 percent of the funding, and the rest of the world contributed the remaining 10 percent.

“With higher and more severe needs in 2023, and the continuing risk of famine, we can and must do better,” Abdelmoula said.

Somalia is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and is ill-equipped to cope with the consecutive droughts that have depleted the country’s water supplies, resulting in crop failures as a result of which agricultural production has fallen to 70 percent below average.

The Somalis affected by these successive droughts are “the human face of the global climate emergency,” Adelmoula added.

Salah Jama, the deputy prime minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, said the country’s people “are paying the price for a climate emergency they did very little to create.”

Getting aid to those most in need remains a tremendous challenge. Some areas are hard to reach because of poor roads infrastructure. Others are under the control of Al-Shabab, an uncompromising, unpopular group with links to Al-Qaeda. Its deadly insurgency against the federal government has resulted in humanitarian aid convoys being attacked.

In a vicious cycle, the scarcity exacerbated by the activities of Al-Shabab means more desperate young Somalis are vulnerable to recruitment by the group.

“Unfortunately, we have very, very limited access to areas under Al-Shabaab control,” Abdelmoula told Arab News. “We try to use proxies at times — community leaders, some community-based (nongovernmental organizations) and so on — but that is very sporadic and very inconsistent.”

However, the Somali government recently regained control of some areas that had been under Al-Shabaab control and, Abdelmoula said: “We came close to getting a glimpse of what the situation looks like in areas that are still under Al-Shabab control, and compared to the communities that we have been dealing with, and the caseload of the humanitarian interventions, these people are in a much, much worse shape than those that were already identified to be at the brink of famine in the (southern) Bay region.”

It is estimated there are about 700,000 people living in areas that remain under Al-Shabaab control, according to the UN.

While humanitarian groups focus on life-saving activities to avert famine, UN officials also emphasize the need to invest in livelihoods, resilience, the development of infrastructure, climate adaptation efforts, and durable solutions for the internally displaced, to help break free from a cycle of chronically recurring humanitarian crises and perpetual dependency.

“I have consistently been saying that what we see in Somalia is equally a development crisis, (not only) a humanitarian crisis, and that there are no humanitarian solutions for this protracted crisis — there are only developmental interventions that can ween the country and its people from this endless dependency on humanitarian handouts,” Abdelmoula said.

“And while most of the donors agree, we still haven’t seen that level of development assistance that will enable the country to adapt with the accelerating and intensifying climate change, and to enable the communities to rely on themselves through income- and employment-generation interventions. I haven’t seen that happen yet.”

He called for the $2.6 billion in required humanitarian aid to be accompanied by financing for “resilience, development and climate adaptation.”

“Humanitarian organizations, local communities and government authorities have ramped up responses and reached 7.3 million people in 2022 but they need additional resources and unhindered access to people in need,” Abdelmoula added, as he urged donors to step up and “front-load their support.”


Saudi Arabia issues rallying cry at UN for end to war and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

Albulaziz Alwasil, Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the UN. (Twitter @ksamissionun)
Albulaziz Alwasil, Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the UN. (Twitter @ksamissionun)
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Saudi Arabia issues rallying cry at UN for end to war and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

Albulaziz Alwasil, Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the UN. (Twitter @ksamissionun)
  • Albulaziz Alwasil, the Kingdom’s envoy to the UN, called for action to halt the brutality against defenseless civilians, destruction of infrastructure, and loss of innocent lives
  • He says his country spares no effort in its attempts to safeguard civilians in Gaza and provide them with aid, and has so far raised more than $133 million to help achieve this

NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia has once again called for an “immediate end to military operations” in Gaza, as the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN issued a rallying cry for collective international efforts to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the territory.
Addressing a meeting of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Albulaziz Alwasil painted a bleak picture of “defenseless civilians” facing relentless brutality, the destruction of vital infrastructure including health centers and places of worship, and the alarming loss of innocent lives, including thousands of women, children and elderly people.
He said his country is sparing no effort in its attempts to safeguard civilians in Gaza and provide them with aid. Its commitment to providing humanitarian assistance by air and sea, and the launch of major fundraising campaigns that have raised more than SR500 million ($133 million), underscore the Kingdom’s dedication to alleviating the suffering of Palestinian civilians, he added.
On Nov. 11, Riyadh hosted an extraordinary joint Islamic and Arab summit to discuss the escalating war, during which the participants adopted a resolution that stated they “unequivocally reject the Israeli aggression against Gaza.”
It also condemned the displacement of Palestinians, attacks on hospitals, and the overall violence in the region. It emphasized the immediate need for food, medicine and fuel in Gaza and called for humanitarian aid convoys to be granted access to the territory as a matter of urgency.
It urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States to adopt an official position in opposition to the aggression in Gaza, and called for increased pressure in an effort to establish a serious political process designed to achieve a comprehensive and just peace in line with the principles of international law.
Alwasil welcomed the humanitarian pause that began on Friday and was initiated by efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the US, while calling for it to become a complete halt to military operations. He also stressed the importance of releasing all hostages and prisoners, and reiterated the need to implement all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and General Assembly mandates without conditions.
Alwasil said the Israeli occupation forces must be held accountable for their actions, denounced the use of weapons prohibited by international conventions, and condemned the annexation of settlements in the West Bank.
He also criticized those responsible for repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, which he described as grave violations of international law and provocations that cause tensions to rise and disrupt peace efforts.
“We call upon the international community to hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for these inhumane crimes, which are tantamount to a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” said Alwasil.
“We warn against double standards and selectivity, and not committing to UN laws and resolutions. This has serious consequences that go beyond this crisis and undermine the legitimacy of the global order, which in turn reflects negatively on our ability to maintain international peace and security.”
Alwasil reiterated Saudi Arabia’s unwavering belief in a two-state solution as the key to stability and security for Palestine.
He added that there is a need “for the Israeli occupation forces to heed the calls for peace, namely the Arab Peace Initiative, and to engage in serious negotiations in good faith to achieve peace based on the two-state solution. This would allow us to achieve security and stability in this vital region of the world.”

 


No evidence Hamas is using American hostages as leverage: White House

The North Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. (AFP file photo)
The North Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. (AFP file photo)
Updated 39 min 17 sec ago
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No evidence Hamas is using American hostages as leverage: White House

The North Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. (AFP file photo)

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: The White House said on Tuesday that US officials see no indications that Hamas militants are refusing to release American hostages in Gaza in order to use them as leverage.
The United States believes Hamas is holding eight to nine Americans as hostages after the release of a four-year-old girl.

 

 


Putin won’t make peace in Ukraine before 2024 US election -US official

Putin won’t make peace in Ukraine before 2024 US election -US official
Updated 29 November 2023
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Putin won’t make peace in Ukraine before 2024 US election -US official

Putin won’t make peace in Ukraine before 2024 US election -US official
  • “That was the context in which the allies all expressed strong support for Ukraine” in the NATO meeting on Tuesday, the official added
  • US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has given massive military aid and other support to Kyiv

BRUSSELS: Russian President Vladimir Putin will not make peace in Ukraine before he knows the results of the November 2024 US election, a senior US State Department official said on Tuesday, amid concerns that a potential victory for former President Donald Trump could upend Western support for Kyiv.
Trump, who is seeking reelection in 2024 and is the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, has been sharply critical of US support for Kyiv.
A senior official briefing reporters after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels said the alliance reiterated its support for Ukraine knowing that a peace agreement in the next year is unlikely.
“My expectation is that Putin won’t make a peace or a meaningful peace before he sees the result of our election,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the outcomes of the meeting.
Asked whether they were expressing a personal opinion or the view of the US government, the official said it was a “widely shared premise.”
“That was the context in which the allies all expressed strong support for Ukraine” in the NATO meeting on Tuesday, the official added, without mentioning Trump by name or explicitly saying how the election result would affect support for Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has given massive military aid and other support to Kyiv since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion, but additional funding for Ukraine is being held up by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month invited Trump, who has said he could end the war in 24 hours if reelected, to Ukraine to see the scale of the conflict for himself.


Hundreds remember Tanzanian student killed in Israel-Hamas conflict

Hundreds remember Tanzanian student killed in Israel-Hamas conflict
Updated 28 November 2023
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Hundreds remember Tanzanian student killed in Israel-Hamas conflict

Hundreds remember Tanzanian student killed in Israel-Hamas conflict
  • Clemence Felix Mtenga, 22, was reported missing after Hamas gunmen stormed across the border from Gaza into Israel on October 7
  • Family members — wearing black shirts bearing Mtenga’s picture — broke down as they filed past the closed coffin

DAR ES SALAAM: Hundreds of Tanzanians bid a tearful farewell on Tuesday to a young agriculture student who was killed in the Hamas-Israel conflict several thousand kilometers away.
Clemence Felix Mtenga, 22, was reported missing after Hamas gunmen stormed across the border from Gaza into Israel on October 7, killing a reported 1,200 people and taking scores more hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Family members — wearing black shirts bearing Mtenga’s picture — broke down as they filed past the closed coffin at a ceremony in his home village of Kirwa in the Mount Kilimanjaro region.
Mtenga and another Tanzanian student, Joshua Mollel, 21, went to Israel in September for an agricultural internship program but both went missing after the October 7 attack.
Tanzania’s foreign ministry confirmed his death in a statement last week, without elaborating on how he was killed, and said Mollel was still missing.
Friends who studied with Mtenga before he moved to Israel described him as being “lovely and friendly.”
“It was sad and difficult to accept news of his death because we used to communicate with him almost every evening,” said Anthony Kanyanza.
“He was a leader of one of the class groups and we all enjoyed his company.”
A member of the local choir, Mtenga had been due to graduate from his university in Tanzania last week.
“Clemence died innocent. Let’s keep Israel and Palestine in our prayers every day to end this kind of innocent deaths,” said priest Alfred Minja who led the burial service attended by government officials.
The head of Israel’s international development agency Eynat Shlein had said on X, formerly Twitter, that Mtenga “was murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct 7.”
The two students were among about 260 Tanzanian youths who went to Israel for an internship in modern farming under a partnership program between the two countries.
Many of the places worst affected by the Hamas attacks were Israeli agricultural communes lining the region bordering the Gaza Strip.
Mtenga’s sister Christina Mtenga told AFP by phone that they had paid their “final respects.”


Authorities face calls to declare a hate crime in Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent

Authorities face calls to declare a hate crime in Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent
Updated 28 November 2023
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Authorities face calls to declare a hate crime in Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent

Authorities face calls to declare a hate crime in Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent
  • Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arrested and held without bail on three counts of attempted murder
  • The US Department of Justice, along with Vermont authorities, are still investigating whether Saturday’s gunfire on a Burlington street was a hate crime

BURLINGTON, USA: Vigils for three college students of Palestinian descent who were shot in Vermont over the weekend prompted calls for authorities to recognize the violence as a hate crime, and for unity among the Jewish and Arab communities.
Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arrested and held without bail on three counts of attempted murder. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf on Monday.
The US Department of Justice, along with Vermont authorities, are still investigating whether Saturday’s gunfire on a Burlington street was a hate crime amid an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities across the US since the Israel-Hamas war began, Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “There is understandable fear in communities across the country,” he said.
One vigil was held Monday night at Brown University in Rhode Island, where one of the victims, Hisham Awartani, is a student. Participants shouted at school president Christina Paxson as she addressed the crowd, demanding that Brown divest from investments that support Israel, according to media reports.
Robert Leikend, New England regional director for the American Jewish Committee, called for unity and finding common ground between the Jewish and Arab communities, saying in a statement Monday night that “hate should not beget more hate.”
He said a vigil after Eaton’s arrest “featured anti-Israel and antisemitic statements from some participants.” He didn’t name the location.
“The anger is understandable. The finger-pointing is not,” he said.
The vigil at Brown was closed to media. NBC News reported that Awartani said in a statement read by a professor that as much as he appreciates the love and support of the community, “I am but one casualty in a much wider conflict.”
The statement read, “Had I been shot in the West Bank, where I grew up, the medical services which saved my life here would have likely been withheld by the Israeli army. The soldier who would have shot me would go home and never be convicted.”
Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, all age 20, were spending their Thanksgiving break in Burlington, and were out for a walk while visiting one of the victims’ relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun, police said. The victims were speaking in a mix of English and Arabic and two of them were also wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves when they were shot, Police Chief Jon Murad said.
Abdalhamid told police he ran away, jumped a fence, and hid behind a house. He eventually knocked on another door, begging the woman who answered to call 911. At that point, he sat down, felt pain, and saw blood, according to an affidavit.
Two of the students were struck in their torsos, while one was hit in the lower body, Murad said. All three were being treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center, and one faces a long recovery because of a spinal injury, a family member said.
One of the students has been released from the hospital, according to media reports.
“I’ve been with them almost constantly since Saturday evening. I’ve been listening to them talk to one another and try to process the events, and I’m blown away by their resilience, by their good humor in the face of these difficult times,” said Rich Price, Awartani’s uncle.
The three have been friends since first grade at Ramallah Friends School, a private school in the West Bank, and all are “remarkable, distinguished students,” said Rania Ma’ayeh, head of the school.
Awartani is studying mathematics and archaeology at Brown; Abdalhamid is a pre-med student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania; and Ali Ahmad is studying mathematics and IT at Trinity College in Connecticut, Ma’ayeh said. Awartani and Abdalhamid are US citizens while Ali Ahmad is studying on a student visa, Ma’ayeh said.
Abdalhamid’s uncle Radi Tamimi, said at a news conference Monday his nephew grew up in the West Bank and “we always thought that that could be more of a risk in terms of his safety and sending him here would be a right decision.
“We feel somehow betrayed in that decision here and we’re just trying to come to terms with everything,” he said.
Eaton moved to Burlington over the summer from Syracuse, New York, and legally purchased the gun used in the shooting, Murad told reporters. According to a police affidavit, federal agents found the gun in Eaton’s apartment on Sunday. Eaton came to the door holding his hands, palms up, and told the officers he’d been waiting for them.
Eaton’s mother, Mary Reed, told the Daily Beast that Eaton, who had held various jobs as a farmer, ski instructor and researcher, had struggled with mental health issues, including depression. But she said he was in “such a good mood” when she saw him on Thanksgiving.
Syracuse police said Eaton’s name appeared in 37 police reports from 2007 until 2021, but never as a suspect. The cases ranged from domestic violence to larceny, and Eaton was listed as either a complainant or victim in 21 reports, according to Lt. Matthew Malinowski, the department’s public information officer.
Sarah George, state’s attorney, said that law enforcement officials do not yet have evidence to support a hate crime charge, which under Vermont law must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. But, she said, “I do want to be clear that there is no question that this was a hateful act.”
Demonstrations have been widespread and tensions in the US have escalated as the death toll rises in the Israel-Hamas war. A fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was set to continue for two more days past Monday as 11 more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza under what was originally a four-day truce deal.