[ 2011-07-21 ]

Rawlings pleads for aid to ease Somalia famine
Former Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings is
leading the African Union efforts to deal with the
famine in Somalia. He spoke to Jon Snow from
Mogadishu.

Mr Rawlings said he believed up to £1bn was
needed to deal with the situation in the longer
term. "But right now, for the next few weeks, as
early as possible, I think something to the tune
of $250m."

Mr Rawlings drew attention to the African Union
soldiers who have taken on the extremists in
Somalia. "They're so ill-equipped, but they’re
doing a fantastic job," he said.

From about two weeks - three, four, five - we'll
be burying lots of children if we don't respond
quickly. Jerry Rawlings
He made a "serious appeal to the international
community, who have more than enough to share" to
fly food and medical equipment as quickly as
possible into Somalia. And He urged people not to
be blinded by their prejudices about the Horn of
Africa - specifically, in connection with the
presence of extremists and, off the Somalia coast,
of pirates.
He told Channel 4 News he believed the combatants
in Somalia when they said they would stand aside
and allow the delivery of medical supplies and
food into the country. "Let's make the effort!
We're on the ground to make sure food supplies get
to them."
What is more, not all of the combatants were
extremists, according to Mr Rawlings. "Some of
them are just poor people, desperate and looking
for jobs and looking for some salary, some pay.
Some of them are fighting for patriotic reasons."
'We're asking for a miracle'
Describing what he had seen this morning during a
visit to a camp near Mogadishu, an emotional Mr
Rawlings said: "I'm not sure many of them will be
alive in the next week or two."
He continued: "From about two weeks - three, four,
five - we'll be burying lots of children if we
don’t respond quickly. We're asking for a
miracle - not from the good Lord but from
governments, establishments, companies,
corporations who have done very good business in
Africa."
Mr Rawlings pledged that when foreign aid finally
arrived, air drops would be arranged in areas
where the necessary infrastructure was lacking -
"just as you do in other places".

Source - Channel 4 (UK)

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