Decency and humanity dictate we all do something

If this a civilised world in which we all live, we cannot stand by and see the massive scale of starvation unfolding in the Horn of Africa without doing something positive to alleviate the suffering of millions of people.

"The United Nations is to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the response to Horn of Africa drought, which it says has already killed tens of thousands of people. Famine was declared in two regions of Somalia on Wednesday – the first time this has occurred since 1992 – with 3.7 million people needing urgent humanitarian assistance.

A further 8 million people require food in neighbouring countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia. The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation said the meeting at its Rome headquarters on Monday would be attended by its 191 member countries, as well as NGOs, other UN organisations and the regional development bank. France, the current president of the G20 group of leading economies, called the meeting.

Topping the agenda will be discussions on how to deliver aid safely and effectively into Somalia. While the drought has been severe across the Horn, with some areas receiving the lowest rainfall for 60 years, Somalia has been worst affected because of conflict, lack of governance and the security risks facing aid groups. Having had no effective government since the overthrow of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, the country is gripped by an Islamist insurgency led by the hardline Al-Shabab militia. The group, which controls much of southern Somalia, lifted a ban earlier this month on international humanitarian groups, including the World Food Programme (WFP), but aid organisations are seeking guarantees the food will not be diverted and aid workers will be safe."

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