Decades after drought devastated parts of North Africa claiming the lives of millions of Ethiopians, the horn of Africa finds itself yet again helpless in the face of two consecutive poor raining seasons which have resulted in the worst drought we have witnessed in half a century.
Elizabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, has stressed that, “There is no likelihood of improvement in the situation until 2012.”
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What is striking about this particular situation is that, for the last two years, the world has known of the impending disaster but has sat by and watched helplessly. Five countries have so far been affected:
Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and Djibouti – the worst being Somalia, a country ravaged by war and internal conflicts.
The situation is worsened by militant group Al Shabab which, for months, has prevented food aid from getting to the areas where people are most in need.
Stories abound of the militants hijacking food meant for their civilian populations and, in some cases, selling it.
So far, 12.4 million people have died, while millions more have become refugees, thereby swelling camps already full of victims of natural and manmade disasters. This drought comes at a time when world resources are spread thin.
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In the shadow of the global economic meltdown, donations are down.
A public already weary from the demands on its pockets and emotions from the multitude of recent disasters ranging from earthquakes to tsunamis has grown indifferent to tragedies occurring so far from its immediate shores.
The response to this disaster from the African Union has been slow and stumbling.
The AU nations have failed to take the lead in coordinating relief efforts for this perennial humanitarian disaster, leaving the bulk of the response to the West.
The African Donor Conference, which raised $356,000,000 from the African Development Bank as well as individual donors, is a welcome start, though much more needs to be done to prevent further catastrophe.
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In recent weeks, reports have predicted that the drought would be both long and deep; many more casualties are expected.
The remoteness of some of the regions affected has also worsened the situation, making the delivery of aid almost impossible in some cases.
Men, women and children have been marching in the scorching heat – some for months – to get to places where they might be able to access food and medical care. Africa is yet again losing its citizens to a disaster that should have been avoided by carefully planning ahead.
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