Government must press UN to act on Somalia

GOAL wants to draw your readers’ attention to the humanitarian crisis that has gripped Somalia.

Since February, one million people have been forced from their homes due to intense fighting between Ethiopian-backed government forces and Islamic insurgents battling for control of the country.

More than 600,000 people have been forced from the capital Mogadishu and are now living in make-shift refugee camps on the city’s outskirts.

Every day hundreds die from starvation, but aid agencies are unable to reach the vulnerable because the situation on the ground is far too dangerous. Aid trucks are routinely hijacked and aid workers are under constant threat from roaming gangs.

The response from the international community so far has been utterly inadequate.

In February, the African Union (AU) promised to send an 8,000-strong force to bring calm to the area, but only 1,600 Ugandan troops are currently on the ground.

Much like the AU force in Darfur, they have completely failed to protect the displaced population. GOAL wants our Government to pressure the UN to mount an adequate response to this unfolding tragedy.

The UN should either flood the streets with peacekeepers to provide a barrier between the warring clans and the displaced people or make Somalia a protectorate as they did with Kosovo in 1999. Only then will humanitarian organisations be able to reach those who desperately need our assistance.

John O’Shea

GOAL

Dun Laoghaire

Co Dublin