WASHINGTON, Apr 23 (OneWorld.net) - The issue of piracy should not take precedence over humanitarian concerns in Somalia, where nearly 80 percent more people are in need of emergency relief since last year, said an international anti-poverty group as donors to the country meet today.

"The piracy issue that has grabbed international headlines is a symptom of deeper issues that have gone unaddressed ever since the collapse of the national government in 1991," said Robert Maletta, policy advisor for Oxfam International. "The International community must urgently focus their attention on finding ways to assist the millions of people in desperate need." (See Oxfam's full statement below.)

In a joint declaration late last year, representatives from states bordering the Red Sea linked the increase in piracy to political turmoil and humanitarian devastation in Somalia, "where an unpopular U.S.-backed central government is fighting an Islamist-led insurgency," reported the humanitarian news agency Inter Press Service (IPS). "Piracy is a symptom of the real crisis, which is the disintegration of Somalia since 1991," Aymen Abdelaziz Salaama, professor of international law at Cairo University, told IPS, adding: "The solution isn't to send foreign navies to combat piracy, but to end the long-standing civil war in [Somalia]." Regional leaders have also raised concerns that an increased foreign naval presence may threaten regional sovereignty and security.

Earlier this month, after U.S. forces rescued U.S. ship captain Richard Phillips from pirates off the coast of Somalia, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to address the rise of piracy in the region, reported the Times of India. "To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy, and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes," said Obama. 

Despite the recent formation of a new government, Somalia "remains the site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis," said Refugees International, a humanitarian group active in the region, in early April. "The formation of a new government has so far meant little to the more than 3 million Somalis in need of emergency assistance inside the country," the group explained, calling on donor governments, the United Nations, and the United States to take action.

Somalia deservedly occupied the uncoveted top position in last year's Failed States Index. Over a decade of anarchic clan warfare has mushroomed into something more sinister, enveloping the Ethiopian army, an Islamic group designated as a terrorist organization, an active U.S. naval presence, and UN accusations that Eritrea is arming the insurgency. The continued failure of the international community to get to grips with Somalia's warring parties was then exposed by the spiraling 2008 humanitarian crisis. As of last August, almost half of the population required urgent assistance in the world's most hostile environment for aid delivery, noted OneWorld UK's Somalia country guide, which contains more background on politics, conflict, and development in the country. 

Piracy must not overshadow humanitarian crisis at donor meeting

From: Oxfam International

23 April 2009

Today’s international meeting, sponsored by the European Union and the United Nations, comes at a critical time when over 3.2 million Somalis are in desperate need of emergency assistance, a 77% increase since January 2008. More than one million people have fled their homes in the last two years.  

“The piracy issue that has grabbed international headlines is a symptom of deeper issues that have gone unaddressed ever since the collapse of the national government in 1991,” said Robert Maletta, Policy advisor for Oxfam. “Without economic opportunities offering alternatives to criminality and without law and order to curb these activities, then the massive economic returns of hijacking ships will continue to drive piracy.”

Drought is deepening across the country, devastating people’s incomes and leaving the majority with little or no access to clean water.  Families are finding it difficult to meet their most basic needs as prices for basic food items are at record high levels—many have doubled since this time last year. 

“The plight of the Somali people and ways to alleviate their suffering should be top of the agenda of donor governments in Brussels.  The International community must urgently focus their attention on finding ways to assist the millions of people in desperate need,” said Maletta.

Beyond aid, Oxfam called on nations to investigate reported violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the country, noting that lack of accountability has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Somalia as civilians continue to get caught in the crossfire and are forced to flee from their homes in huge numbers. 

Oxfam welcomes the call by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to hold groups involved in piracy to account. “The international community must hold those same standards to groups who violate international humanitarian and human rights laws in the country,” said Maletta.

Notes

·        43% of the Somalia’s population, 3.2 million people, are in need of emergency assistance. 

·        Acute malnutrition rates across most of South and Central Somalia are above the UN’s 15% emergency threshold (UN OCHA). One in six children in Somalia is acutely malnourished (200,000).  One in 20 children (60,000) is severely malnourished and at risk of death if they do not receive specialist care (FSAU). 

·        Only 29 percent of Somalia’s population has access to clean drinking water, according to UNICEF. 

Oxfam works with partners to deliver aid in Somalia.  We are currently supporting programs targeting over 350,000 vulnerable people in the country.  We are supporting a pioneering program providing hot meals to more than 60,000 people across Mogadishu every day.  We will soon be scaling up our response in Mogadishu through public health and targeted nutrition programmes. 

We’re providing water at a local and household level, sanitation services and assisting with public health initiatives for 200,000 people in different regions of the country.  In Somaliland Oxfam is leading a drought preparedness and response programme targeting pastoralists who are affected by a harsh climate and acute water shortages. Oxfam is also working with local Somali organizations to provide them with the tools to make a positive contribution to their own country’s future.

Source: OneWorld US, OneWorld UK, Inter Press Service, Oxfam International, Refugees International, Times of India