Sadia Aden
Thursday, December 22, 2011
It goes without saying that this human tragedy did not develop overnight; it has been in the making for several years. The prolonged drought, unrelenting instability and the ever-present external interferences have created the right condition for the current famine.
On December 2007, in an article entitled The War on Terror and the Worst Humanitarian Crisis in Africa, this author, among others, were citing 40 international NGOs who released a joint statement “ominously warning against a gathering cloud of humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia and urging the international community to respond to this man-made calamity…” Yet, the international community continued to ignore all the warning signs till July 2011 when the UN finally declared certain regions famine-stricken.
The irony is that agricultural regions that were the bread basket of the nation are now suffering the worst impact of the famine, thus causing the food prices to skyrocket in certain markets across the South. Of course, there are a number of factors that caused this, but the one that defies all reasons is the one that implicated the World Food Program (WFP). According to independent journalist
As the plane started to loose altitude and the images on the ground began to form into shape, I was stirred with nostalgic feeling triggered by the familiar soil and landscape. There were an overwhelming number of aqalo or makeshift homes built by the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the makeshift camps they call home.
Immediately upon arriving in my first destination—a small village by the name Beled-Amin of Beled-Hawo that hosts roughly about 10,000 IDPs—I, and my colleagues, made our way to the camps. As we approached the camps, we were inundated with the IDPs, from children who could barely walk to adults who were weary and exhausted. I don’t know if it was because I was the only female or because they could sense that I was coming from the qurbo or the Diaspora, soon I was encircled by people with heart-wrenching marks of deprivation and desperation. They had many stories to share…They had many inquiries and they had some complaints. Most people come with cameras and video recorders, they gather their stories, raise their hopes, and disappear.
Their haunting stories penetrated my heart like spears of emotions, and I had wished that there was a way that I could rescue them out of that dire situation. I made every effort to listen to the many survivors who traveled days and nights from the famine-stricken Bay and Bakool regions in search of food, water and shelter. At times it was too difficult to detach myself from these stories of human sufferings and offer simple words of comfort. Reality sunk in as I was confronted with my inability to meet their overwhelming dire needs and expectations. For a moment it seemed as though they were gazing at my face for hope, and I at theirs for inspiration and admiration for their resilience.
However, I found some solace in the fact that we (thank God) brought small gifts for about 312 families- one month worth of food supply for each of those families. The supply included essentials such as flour, cooking oil, sorghum, and rice purchased with funds raised by the Somali Diaspora and supporters in the
Despite the negative reports on the missing Somali youth suspected of joining al-Shabaab, the Somali Diaspora youth have remained steadfast in their commitment to contribute positively toward the survival of
The Diaspora continues to be an integral part of the Somali society’s survival. They have so much at stake and indeed vested interest in finding peace for
Back to
I could see the silver-lining through the bustling markets of both the southwestern region of Gedo and
However, nothing inspired me more than seeing school children walking back from their schools chattering their way back to their homes, and university student proudly walking in groups conversing and trading ideas. This scene has validated to me the notion that
Sadia Ali Aden is a Human rights advocate and a freelance writer