As more heads of state publicly support the military action in Somalia, Oxfam called on international leaders to refocus on addressing the crippling famine in the country.
The new escalation in fighting and insecurity along the Kenya-Somalia border risks increasing the suffering for civilians already devastated by drought and conflict, international agency Oxfam said today, three months since famine was announced in Somalia.
The world must put people’s lives before politics if is to stand any chance of aiding people suffering from the famine in Somalia, a group of 20 aid agencies said today in an open letter. While aid is getting through in many areas, it is not at the scale needed.
As East African leaders gather in Nairobi today to take part in a regional summit to end drought emergencies in the Horn of Africa, Oxfam says governments must take on greater responsibility and accountability in responding to the disaster.
The UN announcing famine in parts of Somalia, the first in the region in the 21st century, must be an urgent wake up call to the rest of the world, Oxfam said.
A consortium of aid organizations today announced that Mary Robinson will travel this weekend to the drought stricken region of the Horn of Africa. The consortium – including Concern Worldwide, Trocaire and Oxfam – collectively reach in excess of a million people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Tens of thousands of Somali refugees fleeing the worsening food crisis and ongoing conflict in the Horn of Africa are being barred from a new aid camp that stands empty and unused while refugee families live in shocking conditions a few kilometers away.
Actress Kristin Davis has been visiting the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya with Oxfam, to see the devastating impact of the drought. More than 10 million people are facing desperate food shortages in the worst food crisis of the 21st century.
Oxfam today launched its largest ever appeal in Africa in response to a massive food crisis facing more than 12 million people across Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The agency needs $80 million to reach 3 million people in dire need of clean water, food and basic sanitation.