LOC12:22
09:22 GMT
GENEVA, July 7 (KUNA) -- The Humanitarian Community welcomes on Thursday Al
Shabaab's announcement to allow resumption of operations in southern Somalia,
but needs guarantees.
In a press release of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) the humanitarian community calls for guarantees that aid
workers will be able to safely reach those most in need.
In January 2010, Al Shabaab expelled some humanitarian agencies working in
southern Somalia, severely curtailing aid efforts in areas currently hardest
hit by drought. The current situation in southern Somalia is the worst it has
been in the last decade and if humanitarian interventions do not occur
immediately, thousands of people will die.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, said "Millions of
Somalis, particularly in the south, are facing acute levels of hunger and
need. I welcome the suspension of restrictions on aid agencies and I am happy
to cooperate with anybody who can help to alleviate the current crisis and
save hundreds of Somali lives."
Bowden welcomes immediate discussions with all parties in control of areas
where there are people in crisis to resume and scale up humanitarian
interventions.
"We stand ready to scale up assistance in southern Somalia but need
guarantees that humanitarian workers can operate safely in the area and will
not be targeted or agencies taxed" Bowden adds.
The suspension of some humanitarian activities in southern areas has
affected millions of people in southern Somalia for the last two years.
Now, the situation has become unbearable because of the drought and a
catastrophic rise in food prices meaning that many families can no longer
afford a daily meal.
At least one in three Somali children is malnourished in parts of southern
Somalia and it is feared that localized starvation exists in certain southern
areas currently inaccessible to humanitarians.
The number of malnourished children in Somalia has increased from 376,000
to 476,000 in the first half of 2011 and is expected to increase a further in
the coming months. Southern areas under Al Shabaab control are hosting almost
80 per cent of the malnourished children.
In the first half of 2011, the number of people facing crisis and in urgent
need of humanitarian assistance increased by almost 850,000 to some 2.85
million people or one third of the population.
This rapid deterioration is due to the severe drought, drastically
increasing food prices and continuing conflict. The failure of the rains this
year resulted in very low food production.
As a result, the price of cereals increased by 270 percent in parts of
southern Somalia compared to a year ago. The annual increase in the cost of
the overall food basket increased by 50 percent in the southern region;
putting the minimal adequate food intake out of the reach of hundreds of
already needy Somali families.
As a result, many more families will face migration and other hardships
which will only add to their already desperate and critical situation. (end)
ta.asa
KUNA 071222 Jul 11NNNN