27 June 2008

The 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 situation

There 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 response

The 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