27 June 2008The British Red Cross has
contributed £200,000 to address the deepening crisis in Somalia.Hundreds of thousands of Somalis face life-threatening food and water shortages due to the escalating armed conflict and
effects of the recent severe drought.High inflation and rising prices of imported food, due to the global crisis, are also aggravating the situation.The British Red Cross contribution will
help provide food for more than 1,500 households for two months in the regions of Somaliland, South Mudug and Galgadud. The money supports the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) relief
operation, launched in June, which will support half a million people affected by the crisis. Deteriorating situationThere has been no effective government in Somalia since 1991
and recent increased violence between rival factions is jeopardising the survival of rural communities already severely affected by low rainfall and poor harvests. Many civilians have been
wounded or killed with hundreds of thousands living in makeshift camps, far from any medical facilities. The UN says almost two million Somalis are in desperate need of outside assistance."We
are witnessing the worst tragedy of the past decade in Somalia," said Pascal Hundt, head of the ICRC's delegation for Somalia. "The living conditions for many families are extremely difficult, finding
water and food is a daily challenge. People are completely exhausted from the non-stop struggle to survive."Red Cross responseThe ICRC is working closely with the Somali Red
Crescent Society, focusing operations on large-scale relief for displaced families. In the coming weeks, the organisation plans to distribute four months worth of dry-food rations to 435,000
people.The ICRC has increased its support for health clinics run by the Somali Red Crescent Society to treat up to 200,000 people. It is also maintaining its long-term support for the two main
hospitals in the Somali capital Mogadishu where over 1,300 weapon-wounded people have been admitted since January, a third of them women and children.Earlier this year, the British Red Cross
channelled £3 million from the Department for International Development to support the ICRC's work in Somalia.Read about the severe drought affecting Ethiopia
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Burindian peacekeepers verify vehicles at a checkpoint in Mogadishu June 27, 2008. Conflict in Somalia has killed 2, 136 civilians so far this year, bringing the death toll since an Islamist-led ...
