Looming catastrophe in Somalia or "scarcity scare"?

Update #3 (7/26/2011) ‪What can be done to make the Horn of Africa self- sufficient?

Update #2 (7/26/2011) The NGO CARE urgently seeking donations.

Update #1 (7/24/2011)- Just discovered a piece linking US foreign policy malfeasance to Somalia famine (dap @ Prof. James Small) --> Somalia: the Real Causes of Famine by Michel Chossudovsky

There is now a steady stream of media reports warning that the Horn of Africa is, yet again, in the midst of a catastrophic famine. According to these reports, millions of Africans in Somalia and neighboring nations are in desperate need of food rations. The BBC laments that despite these dire predictions little is being done to mobilize a comprehensive response; they have put the number of those who need urgent assistance at 14.5 million.[1] 

Image via Wikipedia

SOLDIER OF ETHIOPIAN NATIONAL DEFENSE FORCE, 2006

UNICEF reports that 2 million children in the Horn are at risk and that 500,000 of those children need immediate attention or they will face certain death.[2] According to these accounts, harsh weather, "Islamic militants," and a weak national government are some of the factors that have converged to produce a bleak situation in Somalia. Others complain that violent militias make aid delivery a risky activity [3]. Predictably these accounts are often supported with stereotypical images helpless adults and bone-thin African children with swollen bellies.

TransAfrica recognizes that the current crisis in Somalia is compounded by the lingering effects of the Cold War. During that time, the U.S. supported—both militarily and economically—the autocratic rule of General Siad Barre. The entrenchment of the Barre regime created violent conflict throughout the country and a civil war which led to the eventual overthrow of the government in 1991.[4]

Of course, none of these reports make mention of the proxy war in Somalia--instigated by George W. Bush [5] and now sponsored by Barack Obama--being fought with Drones, illegal detention camps,[6] and Ethiopian troops backed by the United States. And no African should forget the ongoing aggressions against so-called Somali "pirates."[7][8] 

How are western military objectives, western NGOs and foreign aid schemes contributing to instability and food shortages in the region? None of the mainstream media reports about this latest cycle of famines raises these important questions. Libertarian, Bob Adelmann, calls the reports of a looming famine "scarcity scare"--a conspiratorial tactic used to justify a one-world government (Note: Adelmann also believes that global warming is part of the conspiracy. I don't share this view. GI).[9] TransAfrica, an NGO that advocates for equitable US-Africa relations, has not been the same since the departure its founder, Randall Robinson,[10] but at least they attempt to link famine in the Horn of Africa with the "lingering effects of the Cold War." Not a very strong statement but at least its a starting point for a more comprehensive understanding of the politics of famine. You can read their  statement, which includes a list of NGOs that are actively aiding Somalia @ United Nations States Must Step Up and Fully Fund the Somali Relief Fund | TransAfrica

Notes: 

[1] BBC NEWS | Africa | Somali catastrophe 'largely unnoticed'

[2] allAfrica.com: Resources » Hunger Crisis Hits Horn of Africa

[3] Somali militants vow to block aid groups | Deseret News

[4] TransAfrica

[5] Saline Lone, writing in 2006, predicted correctly that US policy in Somalia would only serve to embolden radical Islam in that region: "An insurgency by Somalis, millions of whom live in Kenya and Ethiopia, will surely ensue, and attract thousands of new anti-U.S. militants and terrorists." Read his essay @  In Somalia, a reckless U.S. proxy war - Opinion - International Herald Tribune - The New York Times

[6] The CIA's Secret Sites in Somalia | The Nation

[7] BBC NEWS | Africa | US captain rescued from pirates

[8] Watch this clip, Pirates of Somalia, for some insights into how western policies help create "piracy" -->  ‪PIRATES of SOMALIA Trailer‬‏ - YouTube

[9] Using the Food Crisis

[10] Quitting America

Also dig:

• How America Underdevelops Africa: Death, Plunder, Resistance
• Stones, Bombs, and Planes: A Tale of Two Barbarisms
• You: Somali children's famine has been ignored (nation.com.pk)
• Why are Somalia's militants clamping down on famine aid? (csmonitor.com)
• Antiterror laws could impede US aid for Somalia famine victims (csmonitor.com)

Somaliland: Racist killings and marginalized Gabooyos

Ahmed Shide Jama, in his late 60s, is the leader of one of Somaliland’s marginalized minority groups, the Gabooyo. He lives in the Daami area of Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, with at least 8,000 other families (48,000 people).

See also:

• Stones, Bombs, and Planes: A Tale of Two Barbarisms


Minority groups such as the Gabooyo experience discrimination, mostly for the work they do, such as shoemaking and iron-smelting. In Somaliland, most of the Gabooyo also work as barbers, a job no other clan will perform. Minority groups such as the Gabooyo are not allowed to marry into the larger Somali community or socially interact with them in any way, despite the fact that they are Somalis and Muslims.

Plight

"I am the leader of this community in Daami; there are at least 8,000 families here but no one knows or cares we are here. It is as if they [the majority Somaliland clans] don’t see us or know we even exist.

Read more @ Afrik News

tags: Somalia, discrimination

Stones, Bombs, and Planes: A Tale of Two Barbarisms

I generally avoid posting images of black/African people that might reinforce racist stereotypes. Occasionally I make an exception to offer some push back.

BE ADVISED: SOME OF THE PICTURES THAT FOLLOW ARE GRAPHIC.

I have always had a difficult time getting my head around the concept of stoning someone to death when we have techniques like "lethal injection" that far more civilized. (Although westerners now associate stoning with Muslims, very few Islamic nations sanction stoning.) But really, how "civilized" is that? Imagine having someone eat their "last meal." Imagine that you have now restrained that person and he is watching you trying stick something in his arm that is going kill him. Now imagine that you are sweating profusely because you really want to do your job, you want to kill him, but after searching his arms for hours you request that the execution be postponed because you could not find a "usable vein"...

So back to stoning...

I came across these ghastly pics over at the Huffington Post.

HP led off the story saying: "On Sunday, Islamic militants stoned a man to death for adultery in front of hundreds of local residents in Somalia." 


Here's how the same event was described over at the New York Post : "In a scene straight out of the Dark Ages, this Somali man accused of adultery was stoned to death by Islamic thugs while horrified villagers were forced to watch."

The Huffington Post deserves credit here for objective balanced reporting that does not invite  stereotypes about Africans or Muslims or "darkness." The problem, of course, is that the New York Post version is closer to American public opinion about Somalis in particular and Africans and Muslims in general.

Americans don't typically consider human bodies obliterated or deformed by "modern" weaponry such as--depleted uranium, M16s, MOABs (see second to last picture below), remote controlled drones, atomic bombs, napalm, just to name a few--as barbaric. And because Americans have low attention spans, we have already forgotten about those 300-500 Somali men, women, and children, massacred by our troops. (But we might remember the movie Black Hawk Down, the mythical version of that tragedy.)

Mass death by modern weaponry is overrated.

So yes, I am vehemently opposed killing people with large stones. But I am equally opposed to killing people with massive projectiles dropped from planes and other "modern" weapons of mass destruction.

Somalia

Afghanistan

Afghans dig graves for victims after an alleged air strike by U.S forces in Gozara district of Herat province west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Feb. 17. A U.S. general traveled to western Afghanistan on Feb. 18 to investigate claims that six women and two children were killed, officials said.

USA

 "The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States is the second most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the world." Source: Wikipedia

Assorted US military weapons of mass destruction (Source: Wikipedia)

tags: afghanistan, barbarism, Black Hawk Down, crime, death penalty, islam, MOAB, Somalia, stoning, war on terror, weapons of mass destruction

Should African Nations Help Ayiti (Haiti)?

Posted by the Ghetto Intellectual 2/1/2010 (NB: I have been trying to finish this post for over a week. But I have decided to send it out as is. GI)


Dig it!
 

2/5/2010 Update 1: The Christian Science Monitor asks if African countries can afford to help Haiti. (Dap @ Chinyere Osuji)

2/8/2010 Update 2: Ghana ranked the second most generous donor to Ayiti (Haiti). 

President John Atta Mills has followed up on his previous promise of support for the Ayiti (Haiti) Relief Effort. Ghanaian officials have announced that Ghana will donate $3 million. They have also promised a future donation of "relief items."  Ayitians in Ghana are sponsoring a concert, Helping Hands for Haiti. The proceeds will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (NB: I DO NOT endorse the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund. There are better options). The Caribbean Association of Ghana has pledged $500 dollars to the relief effort. I have seen numerous additional efforts in Ghana to support Ayiti.

Stepping up (this list is not exhaustive)

Currently, there is no coordinated response from the African Union, but more African nations are stepping up. Blogger Emeka Chiakwelu reports that Rwanda and Liberia have pledged $100,000 and $50, 000 respectively. President Ernest Koroma, has pledged $100,000 on behalf of Sierra Leone.
South Africa reportedly has 5,000 health professionals on the ground in Ayiti. Nigeria has a peace keeping contingent in Ayiti and Nigerian leaders have deliberated on sending 7.2 million naira (roughly $50,000 US, I think). Senegal's parliament has committed 500 million CFA ($1 million) to the relief effort. Even Somalian so-called pirates have offered to donate ransom money.

President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal has offered free land Haitians who want to emigrate to the home of their Ancestors. Some of my Senegalese and Gambian friends dismiss Wade's plan as the delusional ideas of a man who is either "old and senile" or "reactionary" or both.

My virtual friend, Kelechi, doesn't like Wade's land scheme either, but he offers this intriguing counter-proposal:

Senegal, as a 'senior' member of the African Union, could organize/encourage a continental, measurable effort on the part of the member nations toward the rebuilding of Haiti's Ouest Department. If each government contributed an average of $5 million, we would be talking about almost $300 million (roughly 5% of Haiti's GDP). An international body such as the UN could be called in as a consultant or independent observer to oversee the administration of funds for relief in the most pressing areas. It would be the hope that this would be matched by the European Union and the United States. (to date, the US has pledged $10million, while only a handful of European countries have pledged an average of $2 million).


I would also advocate for the relieving of duty of American 'peace keeping' forces by African Union troops, to provide security. American military can only operated in the mindset of war, and such is not the case in Haiti. African health professionals, who usually leave home seeking international experience, could also be deployed to Port-au-Prince to aid in the human recovery.

Repatriation?

I believe that repatriation is a moral right possessed by all descendants of the Middle Passage. Wade's offer should be commended. I don't imagine that many Ayitians would take up the offer. But Ayitians who do want to settle in Senegal should be provided with whatever support is necessary to do so. We must also be careful that the rights of the citizens of Senegal are equally protected. (Update: the African Union has announced that it will deliberate on Wade's proposal.)

***

Some of My Ghanaian friends and I have a running joke 


kzs: "I am looking forward to the day that I can live in Ghana permanently!"


Ghanaian friend: "Eeiii! Kwame. You Black Americans are constantly trying to return to Africa whilst we Africans are trying to get out of Africa! 


This is always said in jest, yet one can't deny the irony. 

(But the story is complicated. Even as people are now debating who the "real" American Americans are, Ghanaians who grew up abroad are returning to Ghana...)

Should Africa Help? Under what circumstances?

But back to the criticisms. Should cash strapped African nations who get a significant part of the budget from so-called donor nations donate to Ayiti? What about nations like the Congo (DRC) who are ensconced in a civil war? Congo has pledged 2.5 million to the relief effort. Is this action irresponsible? Some of my colleagues say yes, but I wonder if they are grasping the urgency of Haiti's plight?


Kwame Nkrumah, faced a similar barrage of naysayers when he loaned Guinea-Conakry 20 million and, later, when he sent troops to DRC to aide Patrice Lumumba. History has proven Nkrumah right and the naysayers wrong. Judging from some of the criticism leveled at Joseph Kabila, one would think that Kabila had ceded their entire budget to Haiti. 

There are folks in Ayiti who need help urgently. At this very moment a doctor is contemplating amputating a limb of a Haitian woman, man or child with no anesthesia. Sending a few million to Ayitians--many of whom are direct descendants of the Kongo Kingdom--who urgently need it is pan-African gesture that we should support. Indeed every African nation should donate something.

So what are your thoughts on the matter? Should African nations help Haiti? If so, should there be a criteria? If, for example, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan offered a financial contribution should it be accepted?  



tags: abdoulaye wade, african union, congo, earthquake, ghana, haiti, Liberia, patrice lumumba, repatriation, rwanda, Senegal, sierra leone, Somalia