2 August 2011
Somalia: Over 160,000 receiving ICRC food aid
Geneva / Nairobi (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is currently distributing food to 162,000
people in areas affected by drought and armed violence in southern and central Somalia. This is the first large-scale
food distribution in that part of the country since the beginning of the year.
The operation is about to be completed in Gedo (24,000 beneficiaries), Lower Juba (21,000), Middle Juba (30,000
beneficiaries), Bay (15,000), Bakool (12,000), Lower Shabelle (21,000), Middle Shabelle (12,000), and in the Mogadishu
region (27,000). In all, the ICRC is distributing 3,000 tonnes of food, with families receiving enough rice, beans and
cooking oil to last them one month.
"This operation demonstrates the ICRC's ability to deliver emergency aid directly to the people affected in southern
Somalia," said Andrea Heath, the organization's economic security coordinator for Somalia. "But this distribution
assists only a small percentage of those in need. More aid will be required to help the population bridge the gap until
the next harvest in December."
The severe drought in the Horn of Africa has resulted in acute shortages of water and food. There has been a sharp drop
in grain production, grazing cover has withered and many cattle have died in the parts of southern and central Somalia
hardest hit. The drought has aggravated the already appalling situation caused by 20 years of internal armed conflict,
and countless families are in dire need of humanitarian aid.
Food distributions constitute an emergency response to the most urgent needs. They are complemented by ICRC sustainable
aid aimed at enabling the population to carry on their livelihoods with no outside help. Examples are seed
distributions, the upgrading of wells and boreholes, irrigation schemes and other cash-for-work infrastructure projects
to reduce farmers' vulnerability to extreme weather conditions.
In recent weeks, the ICRC has worked closely with the Somali Red Crescent Society to expand its therapeutic feeding
programme for children suffering from severe malnutrition in isolated rural areas. The ICRC is one of the very few
humanitarian organizations active in all provinces of southern and central Somalia.
ENDS