Drought Aid Needed for Somalia Urgently
The Chicago Tribune writes:
Somalia’s fragile new government risks collapse unless donors contribute millions of dollars to alleviate drought that has wiped out half the nation’s livestock, a UN official said Tuesday.The entire Horn of Africa is in the grips of the worst drought in a decade, but Somalia is in particular danger of slipping into full-blown famine, said Christian Balslev-Olesen, the acting humanitarian coordinator for the nation. The UN is asking for $326 million for Somalia. Without help, up to 80 percent of the nation’s livestock could die and southern areas could see 10,000 to 12,000 human deaths each month, Balslev-Olesen said. Â
Items compiled from Chicago Tribune news services. Published April 5, 2006Â