Gibe III dam | Group warns of ‘catastrophe’ in Omo Valley
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE April 15, 2013 * Aid agencies turn blind eye to ‘catastrophe’ in Ethiopia * Three new reports predict disaster in Lower Omo Valley Three independent reports have warned that the controversial Gibe III dam, and land grabs for plantations, risk imminent ‘catastrophe’ in Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley. Half a million tribal people in Ethiopia and Kenya stand to be overwhelmed by … Read more
Global: FAO projects record Wheat production in 2013
First forecasts for the 2013 wheat harvest point to production increasing to 690 million tonnes – 4.3 percent up on 2012. This would be the second largest crop on record, according to the latest issue of FAO’s quarterly Crop Prospects and Food Situation report. The production hike is expected mostly in Europe, driven by increased … Read more
UN to open a new refufgee camp in Ethiopia
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced it is to open another new camp in Ethiopia to deal with Somalis still fleeing from conflict and insecurity. A spokesperson for the UNHCR in Geneva, Andrej Mahecic, said that with people still arriving at Dollo Ado, “the Ethiopian Government has authorized the opening of … Read more
Somaliland: President appeals for drought assistance and relief aid
Somaliland’s President Ahmed Mahmoud Silanyo has issued an appeal for drought relief aid. In a statement released from Hargeisa he asked the international community, UN agencies, international and local NGOs and the public at large to take action to save lives from the drought currently affecting large areas of Somaliland. It was, he said, harmful … Read more
Below average rain in Somalia, but famine unlikely
The UN’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) in Somalia has said that Somalia’s most recent main rainy season is going to be below average. The FSNAU said Somalia wasn’t likely to have a “very great, promising harvest in the coming season because of rainfall performance". The long rains, which began in April, started … Read more
Ethiopia: Poor rains prompt calls for more food assistance
Aid agencies are calling for more food assistance for areas in southern and northeastern Ethiopia where erratic rains have adversely affected the mid-February to May `Belg’ crop. “We have a very significant shortage of food in much of [the] `Belg’ season dependent areas of the country particularly in SNNPR, [Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region]” … Read more
May 2012| Food Security update for Kenya, Somalia,
The US-funded FEWS Net (Famine Early Warning Systems Network) released Food Security updates for Kenya and Somalia. Here are the summary of the updates FEWS Net e-mailed. Kenya Food Security Update, May 2012 HEADLINE: Poor long rains in parts of pastoral areas. Food Security Summary: With the exceptions of pockets in the northern and northeastern … Read more
Briefing: Africa Human Development Report
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) launched its first Africa Human Development Report today, stressing food security as a means to a better quality of life for all. The argument is straightforward: Most people in Africa depend on agriculture, and better nutrition is good for human development. More food production means more food and income in … Read more
UN: Ethiopia’s success a model for the Horn, the Sahel regions
A UN official said on Monday that: ‘multi-year investments in safety nets and significant advances in health and nutrition have saved countless lives and protected millions from the famine experienced elsewhere in the Horn of Africa,…..the successful policies pursued by the Ethiopian Government provide an invaluable experience to share, not just elsewhere in the Horn … Read more
Analysis: The myth and mystique of humanitarian space
The phenomenon of ‘shrinking humanitarian space’ is earnestly debated by aid workers. The often-heard complaint is that neutrality and independence is increasingly compromised by donors, peacekeepers and warring parties seeking to to co-opt them, and they blame the growing toll of attacks on agency staff on the perception that they are no longer impartial. Now … Read more
