Sounding the Alarm
December 7, 2007
The Horn of Africa is heading for a major humanitarian catastrophe. The United Nations Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes says the crisis in south-eastern Ethiopia, Darfur and Somalia could get much worse in the months ahead...especially since Ethiopia and Eritrea are saber rattling at the moment and may also be going back to war.
In my estimation, the uprising by the Islamic rebels this time last year was the harbinger of all this. In fact, in this blog last year, I've talked a lot about the instability in this region.
The new report from the U.N. states...
In Ethiopia’s impoverished Somali region, where the conflict between Government forces and the Ogaden National Liberation Front has intensified this year, he noted that fears are growing that up to 4.5 million people could soon face famine-like conditions.
This is a very scary thing in deed. People who are desperate for food will do just about anything to get it. I remember seeing video out of Somalia earlier this year of aid distribution. There were men with large branches standing on top of the food in the back of a pick up truck. They were beating people-including women and children-who were rushing the vehicle. It was painful to watch. The basic instinct of survival mixed with hunger makes ordinary, upstanding people turn crazy. (In civilized France, a lack of bread once caused a revolution!)
One thing I cannot understand is why anyone woud want to harm an aid worker-the very people who have come to help them. Although, usually the ones who attack are the same ones who are attacking the civilian population.
The U.N. says that in the past year alone:
12 RELIEF WORKERS KILLED
128 HUMANITARIAN VEHICLES HIJACKED
118 STAFF TEMPORARILY TAKEN HOSTAGE
59 HUMANITARIAN PERSONNEL PHYSICALLY OR SEXUALLY ASSUALTED
74 CONVOYS AMBUSHED OR LOOTED
There have also been a number of Christian aid workers attacked in these regions, too. Earlier this year I blogged about a World Vision worker who was attacked in Darfur. (Read the post.)
Certainly, if the humanitarian crisis gets worse, these numbers will go up. And, of course, the toll on the local population will be horrible. Please pray that God would work a miracle in this region-that peace would reign.
To read more about the Islamic uprising in Somalia, take a look at my past blog posts:
A Deadly Game of Chess
Look out, Kenya! Jihadists Coming Your Way...
Al-Qaeda in Somalia No Surprise
“There are strong reasons to believe such a catastrophe could occur in the next few months if all the necessary action to avert it is not taken,” Mr. Holmes said, adding that insecurity and Government restrictions are making it difficult for aid workers to even reach those in need.
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