Humanitarian Relief - Change.org: Places Not To Be

Places Not To Be

Published November 25, 2008 @ 09:10AM PT

A quick look at those ongoing humanitarian emergencies which tend to pass unnoticed - or, put another way, places not to be, unless you have a choice in the matter:

Afghanistan:

Early snowfall has blocked roads in the north, cutting access to several districts where people are in desperate need of food. The snow threatens plans to pre-position food supplies before districts are completely cut-off - according to an official in Badakshan province, for instance, only 21% of promised food aid has so far been delivered.

Following a "pitiable harvest" caused in part by a severe drought, millions of Afghans risk going hungry this winter - a report released in late October even warned of a possible famine. The increasing number of attacks by insurgents against food convoys also adds to the problem.

All told, around 8 million Afghans depend on food aid from the World Food Program (WFP). For more information about WFP food distributions in Afghanistan, see here.

[For those interested in learning more - BBC offers an excellent summary of the health, education, economic and political situation in Afghanistan, as well as the relevant demographics.]

Central African Republic:

Humanitarian and development agencies are struggling to deliver services in CAR, where fighting between rebels and the Government at one point forced almost 300,000 to flee their homes in the north of the country. As of November, over 100,000 remain displaced.

A tenuous peace agreement reached 18 months ago is still holding, yet the humanitarian situation remains bleak. According to a recent article on AlertNet: "Maternal mortality rates are high, 20 percent of children die before their fifth birthday and malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition are widespread."

Congo:

It hasn't been an easy past few months for UN peacekeepers in the Congo, who have been widely criticized for their failure to protect civilians during the recent fighting.

And no criticism would be complete without snide remarks from a French diplomat - in this case France's Ambassador to the UN, who recently felt the need to say: "We also think they (MONUC) should take the opportunity to re-read the rules of engagement."

Others were slightly more understanding. According to one diplomat: "The [Congolese] army rapes and kills. How can peacekeepers support criminals like these?"

Proving yet again their remarkable ability to live down to their reputation, the AP has reported that on Sunday Congolese troops "went on an overnight looting and shooting spree in a sprawling Congolese refugee camp, stealing from hungry and traumatized people who have fled fighting with rebels in the country's east". At least one civilian was killed.

On the positive side, the recent ceasefire seems to be holding, as humanitarian access slowly begins to improve.

To read a recent interview with Olusegun Obasanjo, the special envoy sent by the UN Secretary General to help end the fighting in Congo, see here. For an interview with Alan Doss, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, see here.

Finally, for gripping photos of the Congo crisis, see here.

[Photo of the Mugunga displaced person camp in Congo from Getty Images]

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sadly.. those places are where I want to be...

Posted by Iro K on 11/26/2008 @ 06:19AM PT
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isn't it strange how that works? so many millions would give anything to get out of those places and so many of us work so hard to get in to them...

Posted by Charles London on 11/26/2008 @ 09:53AM PT
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u forgot somalia

Posted by F M on 11/29/2008 @ 09:35PM PT
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For all the posts on Somalia, see here:

http://humanitarianrelief.change.org/blog?category_id=12454

Michael

Posted by Michael Bear Kleinman on 11/30/2008 @ 01:05PM PT
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How about our military forces protecting the huminitarian aid to ensure it gets where intended. Perhaps this will help 'Win the hearts and minds' of the people we are supposed to be helping over there!

Posted by Bernie MacDonald on 12/02/2008 @ 09:31AM PT
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That's a tough one -- especially when it comes to situations like Darfur, where some are pushing for US intervention (or at least enforcement of a no-fly zone). The problem is that military interventions tend to become rather complicated rather quickly -- not just Iraq, but a more relevant example might be Somalia in the early 1990s, culminating in the death of 19 Americans in 1993; including 18 in the battle later memorialized by the movie Black Hawk Down.

Posted by Michael Bear Kleinman on 12/02/2008 @ 12:54PM PT
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Author Biography

Michael Bear Kleinman: Los Angeles, CA; Michael is an aid worker, lawyer, and consultant with experience working in Afghanistan, across east and central Africa, and Iraq.