Monday - July 25, 2011

What, Again???

Food aid for Somalia could be flown into country within a week

The international effort to bring humanitarian relief to 3.7 million Somalis who need urgent help to beat drought and famine is being hampered by al-Shabaab’s refusal to let most agencies into their territory.

The al-Qaeda-inspired insurgents backtracked on an earlier promise to allow access.

But the United Nations said it was planning to fly food into areas held by the Islamists despite the ban.

“There are 2.2 million people yet to be reached,” said Josette Sheeran, the head of the agency.

“It is the most dangerous environment we are working in in the world. But people are dying. It’s not about politics, it’s about saving lives now.”

Jane, you ignorant slut. It’s always about politics, first, last and forever. It’s not about saving lives at all, and never was. The warlords will take your food, feed themselves, then steal the rest and sell it for weapons the instant you turn your back, while starving their opposition. That story hasn’t changed in Africa in 60 years or more.

WFP was one of the many organisations that al-Shabaab effectively forced out last year after imposing strict conditions of operation including no foreign female staff.

The group also taxed aid convoys.

Regis Chapman, the head of WFP’s operations in Somalia, said that food deliveries would soon start into the limited parts of Mogadishu controlled by the internationally-backed government.

He added that “within a week to 10 days” WFP would be sending food into areas controlled by the Islamists.

The Red Cross on Sunday said that it had delivered 400 tonnes of food to 24,000 people in Gedo province, the first time it had taken supplies into al-Shabaab’s territory since 2009. More than 2 million Somalis in the worst affected areas, including two famine zones, live in al-Shabaab territory and cannot be reached by international aid.

They are among more than 11.5 million people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia who need urgent help to keep them from starving after at least two years with no rain.

Stop wasting your money. Let them all starve. It won’t make any difference even in the short run. There are always tens of millions starving in Africa. Or suffering from some dread disease. Or being cleansed ethnically. Or being molested by flamingos. Whatever. It’s what Africa does, because Africa is actually Hell. It’s their job.

You can’t feed the people because the other people are such heartless malicious bastards that they use starvation as a political and military tool. They always have, and they always will. Stop wasting your money. Wait. This is the UN we’re talking about. So it’s MY money they’re wasting. Stop even faster in that case.

Maybe they should petition those Somali pirates in their own midst to use some of those hundreds of millions in ransom money to, you know, BUY some food for once.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/25/2011 at 03:34 PM   
Filed Under: • Africa • Pirates, aarrgh! •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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