Piracy, a long-standing problem in the Horn of Africa, is further compounding the already complex situation that aid organizations face as they respond to the crisis in the region, the chief economist of the African Development Bank has noted.
Mthuli Ncube said piracy in seas surrounding Somalia is forcing aid groups to transport their relief supplies by air or use less convenient sea ports. These options are more expensive and food aid takes longer to arrive in drought-stricken areas, he explained.
“Absolutely, piracy is very much a concern and not abating at all,” Ncube said, as quoted by the Guardian. “It hampers the delivery of food aid. Some has to be flown in, which has an impact on cost, or it has to go to ports like Mombasa, Kenya, and then be driven overland, which takes time.”
Aside from piracy, the international response to the Horn of Africa crisis is hampered by poor infrastructure, security concerns and difficulties in securing funding.
High logistics costs are also a concern for relief agencies, particularly international groups responding to the crisis. The World Food Program has earlier urged commercial air transport companies to reduce or waive the cargo fee for humanitarian aid sent to East Africa.
Meanwhile, within Somalia, aid agencies are expected to have a window of opportunity to scale up their response in Mogadishu with the reported departure of the al-Shabab militant group from the city. But Augustine Mahiga, the top U.N. envoy in the country, said aid agencies would only have this window if Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government acts to secure Mogadishu.
“This is a welcome development which, if managed effectively, will expedite political gains as well as the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance to the thousands of [Somalis] who have traveled to Mogadishu in a desperate attempt to escape the devastating famine,” Mahiga told The Associated Press.
More US aid
The United States, which is currently the top humanitarian aid donor to East Africa, has announced an additional $17 million aid package for the region. This is on top of the $105 million pledged Aug. 8 by U.S. President Barack Obama. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who announced the new aid package on Thursday, Aug. 11, said $12 million of the sum will be used to assist drought victims in Somalia.
Foreign ministers from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, meantime, are meeting next week to discuss aid for Somalia. The meeting will be held in Istanbul and was organized in response to Turkey’s call for “help for the people of Somalia,” the organization said, according to Al Arabiya.
Building resilience
Aside from announcing new U.S. emergency aid, Clinton on Thursday outlined how the United States is helping strengthen food security in East Africa, particularly in Kenya and Ethiopia, through the Obama administration’s Feed the Future initiative.
“Our goals are ambitious. In the next five years, the United States aims to help more than half a million people in Ethiopia permanently escape poverty and hunger, and more than 430,000 children benefit from improved nutrition. In Kenya, we aim to raise incomes and improve nutrition for 800,000 people,” Clinton said.
The secretary of state emphasized that while emergency assistance is needed, it is “as important” to “use this opportunity to make very clear what more we need to do together to try to avoid this happening again.”
Read more news on the East African crisis.
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