The United Nations food agency called on Thursday for long-term aid for farmers in the Horn of Africa, saying constant crises in the region should shame the world. As Turkey’s prime minister prepared to fly to war-ravaged Somalia, where the food crisis has hit famine levels, the Food and Agriculture Organisation said efforts to tackle the situation were being hampered by lack of donor funds. “It is unacceptable for more than 12 million people to be at risk of starvation today,” Jacques Diouf, head of the Rome-based FAO, said at the start of a conference on the drought crisis.
“The required funding is lacking. If governments and their donor partners do not invest now, the appalling famine we are now struggling to redress will return to shame the international community yet again.” Diouf called for immediate food aid to help the worst-affected but also emphasised the need for longer-term assistance to livestock farmers and crop producers to help strengthen their defences against climate change. The United Nations on Monday said it had received pledges covering only half of the $2.4 billion (1.7 billion euros) required for relief efforts. More pledges are expected at a donor conference in Ethiopia next week. The United Nations has officially declared famine in parts of Somalia for the first time this century, including in Mogadishu and four southern regions controlled by Islamist militias who have blocked access for some aid groups.
