Somalia 'facing worst crisis'

2008-06-04 11:35

Nairobi - Somalia is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in a decade, and the situation is deteriorating, says an international aid agency.

Worsening armed conflict, rising global prices of food and fuel and severe drought in central Somalia were key factors making the Horn of Africa nation's humanitarian crisis worse, said the International Committee of the Red Cross in a statement.

"We are witnessing the worst tragedy of the past decade in Somalia," said Pascal Hundt, head of the International Red Cross' delegation for Somalia. "People are completely exhausted from the non-stop struggle to survive."

The most severely affected areas were in central Somalia, which had suffered poor rainfall and harvests for more than two years, the statement said.

Humanitarian crisis

It said food shortages in central Somalia were severe and livestock, a major source of sustenance, were weakening as pastureland dries up.

On Tuesday, a group representing a variety of Somali organisations warned members of the United Nations Security Council of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia.

The group called for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops, saying their departure would accelerate a political settlement of the country's 18-year conflict.

The Security Council members - who visited Djibouti to encourage direct talks between Somalia's transitional government and an opposition alliance - met with various Somalis, including rights activists, small business owners, women, peace activists, representatives of clans and members of the Somali Diaspora.

Militants seize Mogadishu

The Somali individuals also urged the Security Council to encourage the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops, who had been in their country since 2006 to help government forces deal with an Islamic insurgency.

"The presence of Ethiopian troops is exacerbating the crisis, and their withdrawal will accelerate all inclusive political settlement," they said in a joint statement.

Somalia, a poverty-stricken Horn of Africa nation of seven million people, had been in anarchy since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other.

The shaky transitional government formed in 2004 called in troops from neighbouring Ethiopia in December 2006 to oust Islamic militants who had seized control of the capital, Mogadishu, and most of southern Somalia.

But the Islamic insurgents remained a disruptive force and a continuing threat to Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf's government, which was backed by both the European Union and United States.

Thousands of civilians had been killed and hundreds of thousands forced from their homes.

- AP