Monday, August 08, 2011
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An analyst is concerned that difficulty with the Somali famine has the world ignoring the plight where mainly women and young children are dying in their tens of thousands. Press TV: It is not the first time we've seen this, but again it appears the world does not consider the children of Somalia. Why do you think that appears to be the case?
Ayo Johnson: It's rather sad that children and women are mostly affected. The crisis in Somalia has really affected everyone and it would appear that the world is still sleeping to this disaster that's unfolding right in front of our eyes.
I think it's because the world has not woken up to this disaster simply because somehow the aid agencies have not been able to get the message across; governments have been too slow to respond because of the financial crisis engulfing the world; and I think a lot of people around the world seem to have lost the appetite for these sort of crises.
But it's a crisis that is really affecting children and what you have just been explaining about the 25 children in a news report is happening every second and every minute of the day. So it's very sad and I think more effort needs to be put in and somehow the world has got to wake up to assist Somalia and its starving children.
Press TV: Well, the sad part about it is when you look at countries, for example, the US and many of its allies spending hundreds of millions of dollars waging wars, it would be such a better thing if we could use this money to spend on these children and preventing this.
How much of this could have been prevented? We know of course there is a drought, but it didn't all of sudden just happen right now that people are starting to talk about it. Why was very little attention given to this when it initially started?
Ayo Johnson: You are spot on. More effort and financial aid should be made available and we're fighting wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the world; money that could be made available to these families.
But I think also the fact that Somalia has had drought for a long period of time has also assisted; the high food prices hasn't helped; the problems that we have between al-Shabab and the government; the fact that al-Shabab controls large swathes of that country; and the government is very weak and confined very much to the capital -- that also is not helping the situation. We have aid agencies that want to do that much more, but they can't do it because they do not have permission in areas that al-Shabab control.
Apart from that, Somalia is not necessarily at good odds with its neighbors especially with the al-Shabab; not very friendly with Ethiopia; not on talking terms with Uganda, which makes it that much more complex with Kenya. So as a whole the people who are suffering are the children. And I think the writing has been on the wall saying that when it comes to Somalia, aid agencies have got to do more; governments have got to support that much more, but I think somehow the world has not responded and what we're seeing is just the sad side of that.