Somalia: On the brink of disaster

02 July, 2011 | AlertNet
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    War and drought is
    now forcing more than
    30,000 people to flee
    from Somalia every
    month. They cross the
    borders with
    neighboring Kenya and
    Ethiopia to look for
    protection and life
    saving aid. The Danish
Refugee Council is working in the hastily growing refugee
camps and now starts assistance activities in even more camps
in Ethiopia to provide emergency relief to the suffering
population.

One of the hardest hit areas is Dolo Ado in southern Ethiopia in
the border area with Kenya and Somalia. Here, the two
existing camps are already overcrowded and three new camps
are being prepared to receive the large numbers of new Somali
refugees.

Dolo Ado is one of the places where Somalis seek protection
and assistance having left their homes and their country.
Malnourished, exhausted and sick, small and large groups of
refugees reach the camps in Kenya and now also increasingly in
Ethiopia.

"The situation is so serious in the Horn of Africa that we need
to ensure a very quick response. People are starving and child
mortality is growing at an alarming rate. It is a very disturbing
situation, and therefore, the Danish Refugee Council has
decided to launch extraordinary and massive support for Dolo
Ado," says Ann Mary Olsen, Head of the Danish Refugee
Council's International Department.

During the month of June, 18,745 Somalis have arrived in
refugee camps in Dolo Ado in southern Ethiopia. And the
exodus from Somalia to neighboring countries is increasing.
People attempt to escape intensified fighting aggravated by a
historic drought. But even the flight is a dangerous ordeal for
the many who are weakened by prolonged lack of clean
drinking water and food.

"We work with both relief in the Dadaab camps in Kenya, the
world's largest refugee settlement, and we are now
commencing relief aid to Dolo Ado in Ethiopia. In Dolo Ado,
the problems are exacerbating at such a rate that we are
struggling to keep up. The assistance to be provided to the area
now is essential to save lives and to help the Somalis, who are
simultaneously affected by the plights of war, drought and the
flight," says Anne Sophie Laenkholm, Danish Refugee Council's
Deputy Regional Director at the Horn of Africa.

The newly arrived Somalis are in very poor nutritional and
medical condition. New figures show that one in three suffers
from severe malnutrition affecting particularly children and
vulnerable parts of the refugee population.

The Danish Refugee Council expects to expand the relief
operation in Dolo Ado in Ethiopia over the coming months. In
Somalia itself, an estimated 1.4 million people are internally
displaced due to the civil war and the drought classified as the
worst in 60 years. In addition, it is estimated that at least as
many Somalis suffer from the humanitarian crisis in the country.


                                   Courtesy
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