Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Somalia towards famine

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Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Somalia towards famine​

Hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia are facing famine. Binyam Gebru works with Save the Children in Somalia. He says organizations like his need one thing to help Somalis on the brink of starvation.

BINYAM GEBRU: We need money because currently, the markets are working. There is still food, which is expensive, but the markets are working. So we need a lot of resources. The U.N. has made an appeal of 1.5 billion to avert famine. That's the initial estimate. With the current increase in number of people affected by drought, we are likely to need more.

MARTIN: You heard Gebru say the free market in Somalia is working. That means, though, that the cost of food is rising and more people go hungry. Hunger in Somalia has more than one cause, of course - droughts that last longer and happen more frequently, and Russia's war in Ukraine, which cut Somalia off from one of its main international food sources. Gebru's appeals for more resources haven't yet worked.

GEBRU: I think partly there is a donor fatigue.

MARTIN: With so much attention on devastation elsewhere in the world, he says Somalia's crisis just hasn't been at the top of donors' minds. Gebru told our co-host Leila Fadel the country doesn't even have enough hospital beds to care for its malnourished children.

GEBRU: Health facilities require support because they're at their breaking point in many places. You know, children who are severe malnutrition, they get admitted in existing beds, and then most of the beds are already full. Children are admitted, you know, under sheds, open spaces, even offices are used for treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

So there's no space for kids who are malnourished in the hospitals anymore.

GEBRU: Absolutely. Absolutely. The caseload is way higher than what the existing facilities can hold.

FADEL: What specifically are families dealing with, choices people are having to make when they're faced with a lack of food, a lack of water?

GEBRU: People in places in the south, they sell off their available cattles to feed the children. And these are normally the source of milk for children. And unfortunately, in those severely affected regions, most families have lost their cattles. Somalia overall has lost 300 million cattles, which is way higher than other neighboring countries - out of the 7 million, which the region has lost. These are a source of food, a source of livelihood. So they can't even have their cattles to be sold.

FADEL: So they're having to make a choice between their long-term livelihood with the cattle and selling them off to immediately feed their families.

GEBRU: Absolutely. On top of that, people have to travel up to three days, you know, with children to areas which are not occupied by extreme organization which has occupied, you know, a large swath of territory in the south and central region, which is mainly affected by the drought. So parents have to travel with the kids for four to three days to reach where, you know, support is provided. And along the way, they lose children from dehydration, starvation.

FADEL: How has it gotten this bad? Would you draw a connection to climate change, to Russia's war in Ukraine and the famine in Somalia?

GEBRU: Somalia used to experience droughts every five to six years in the past. Now it has become every three years. It has become more substantive, and it becomes also very severe. Ukraine has taken, you know, the attention of the international donor community almost totally. And the crisis in Somalia, as well as in the Horn, has been neglected. And, yeah, climate is, of course, the main culprit. And then Somalia - its contribution to global warming or carbon emission is insignificant, but the brunt is borne by the country, particularly the women, children of Somalia.

So the drought is a cause of the climate crisis, which Somalia is not necessarily contributing to. I think Western countries, which contribute significantly to that, should have a responsibility to support and, you know, bail Somalia out. Now Ukraine has come - the additional layer of the situation, making the situation worse because food crisis has increased. Somalia depends on its, you know, wheat import on Russia and Ukraine - up to 95%. The war in Ukraine has contributed to the current crisis directly and also indirectly.

FADEL: So what could the U.S. do if the Biden administration wanted to help alleviate some of this suffering?

GEBRU: Yeah, I think they should pay equal attention to the crisis in the Horn. Here, we are looking at - in a country which is heading toward a famine situation and hundreds of thousands of people are likely to die from starvation in front of our eyes, where you can really do something now and - but it's a - I think the U.S. should make Somalia a priority - you know? - the same as probably Ukraine. Because in terms of human deaths and casualties, where - is much bigger number we are looking at here.

Children who do not contribute to any of this are the ones suffering most, and they are dying in front of our eyes. You know, we - in our health facilities where we treat children with severe acute malnutrition, we lost eight children in one month alone. And admission rate has tripled, you know, compared to the same time last year. And then these children, if they don't get treatment, they will die. Time is running out, but we can still really - with a concerted effort and enough resources, we can save lives.

FADEL: Binyam Gebru is with Save the Children in Somalia. Thank you so much for your time.

GEBRU: It's a pleasure.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Somalia towards famine

Russia and Ukraine previously provided nearly all of Somalia's wheat. Now, the country is on the brink of famine.

www.npr.org

 

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War in Ukraine Pushes Millions Into Food Insecurity​

The World Food Program says higher food and fuel costs, due in part to the war in Ukraine, have pushed an additional 47 million people into food insecurity since March. WSJ Africa deputy bureau chief Gabriele Steinhauser joins WSJ What’s News host Annmarie Fertoli to talk about the worst hunger emergency in a half-century afflicting Somalia and some of the world’s other poorest countries.

Speaker 1: Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine is pushing many of the world's poorest nations to the brink of starvation in what has become a global food crisis. The World Food Programme says higher food and fuel costs have pushed an additional 47 million people into acute food insecurity since March. That's defined as when a person is no longer able to consume enough calories to sustain life and livelihood. In Ethiopia, South Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Somalia, nearly 900,000 people already face starvation and death. I'm Annemarie Fertoli with The Wall Street Journal. And joining me now with more on this is our Africa deputy bureau chief Gabriele Steinhauser. Hi Gabriele. Thank you for being here.

Gabriele Steinhauser: Sure. Happy to join you.

Speaker 1: So Gabriele, you saw this crisis firsthand in Somalia recently. Can you tell us more about what you witnessed?

Gabriele Steinhauser: Sure. I mean, the level of suffering is just incredible. We spent some time in a camp for displaced people on the outskirts of Mogadishu, and pretty much everybody we spoke to there was just extremely hungry. And the levels of malnutrition, especially among children, are now already higher than in 2011, 2012 when the worst famine of the 21st century actually killed more than a quarter million people in Somalia. Just in the short time that we were there, I met several families who had lost children just in the last few days. Some lost kids as they were fleeing a record breaking drought, and then others saw their kids die actually after they arrived in the camp where they were expecting to find food aid. But in fact, many hadn't received any aid since arriving.

Speaker 1: How much has Russia's war in Ukraine impacted this region?

Gabriele Steinhauser: I think the important thing to understand is that the effects of the Russian invasion in Ukraine came for Somalia and the broader Horn of Africa region at a really bad time. They're going through the worst drought in 40 years. And then also several countries in the region, including Somalia are in the grips of conflict. So you're already talking about a very, very difficult situation. And the people who are suffering the worst of the hunger now are the people who were kind of barely holding on earlier, right? Because these are people who were displaced. They have almost nothing. So for instance, I spoke to a family who had fled in 2020 to the camps. And the mother was telling me that until a few months ago, her husband who brings home between one and $2 a day, that money was enough to buy two meals of rice and beans for the family of six at the time. And now it was only enough for them to buy one meal of rice. And that just wasn't enough. And in fact, when I spoke to her, it was absolutely heartbreaking because literally minutes before we arrived at their home, which was just kind of a shack made from corrugated metal, she had actually buried her two month old son who had died that morning after a night of vomiting and diarrhea. And her older son who was two years old, was actually in the hospital fighting an infection. And his body was weakened just from not having had enough food for an extended period of time.

Speaker 1: Gabriele, what are world governments and aid agencies doing to try to help this situation right now?

Gabriele Steinhauser: A lot of the aid agencies are shifting into emergency response now. But they're warning that in fact, they just don't have enough funds, partly because the level of need is so high, partly because as food prices have increased in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, even the aid agencies are facing much higher costs, right? So in fact, what a lot of aid agencies are having to do is make very difficult choices. So in Somalia, for instance, the World Food Programme has stopped a lot of the prevention work and really shift into famine response, which is to focus their aid on the people that are literally starving right now. In some of the other countries in the region, like in Ethiopia and Sudan, the World Food Programme has cut rations for refugees because they just don't have enough money. So the agencies are basically facing the choice between helping fewer people or giving more people not enough, but maybe just enough not to starve.

Speaker 1: What do experts say about when food prices might start to level out again, and when supply chain disruptions could improve to help ease this terrible situation we're seeing right now?

Gabriele Steinhauser: Yeah, I think that's a really difficult question. We have seen some of the global prices level off. So for instance, the global price of wheat has recently fallen to about the level that it was before Russia's invasion. But other prices for important goods like cooking oil or fuel still remain high. And even those prices on the global market when they fall, it takes some time to filter through. Some of the other issues like shipping costs, they're much harder to predict. So it's unclear. I think a lot of people are heartened by the drops we've seen just in the last few weeks, but it's not enough. And it's unclear how long they will be sustained and how long it will take for people in the poorest countries to actually benefit.

Speaker 1: I've been speaking with Africa deputy bureau chief Gabriele Steinhauser. Gabriele, thank you so much for your time.

Gabriele Steinhauser: Sure. Thanks so much.

War in Ukraine Pushes Millions Into Food Insecurity - The Wall Street Journal Google Your News Update - WSJ Podcasts

The World Food Program says higher food and fuel costs, due in part to the war in Ukraine, have pushed an additional 47 million people into food insecurity since March. WSJ Africa deputy bureau chief Gabriele Steinhauser joins WSJ What’s News host Annmarie Fertoli to talk about the worst hunger...

www.wsj.com

 

[kingQamaR]

Come on, guys! Put a naval fleet into the Black Sea to protect Odessa and the grain ships and get the stuff out soonest. If the Russians try to stop you, deal with them!

 

[Valar.]

Their population is 16 million(excluding diaspora/refugees etc), agriculture produce almost nil, civil war for decades and TFR(total fertility rate) is 6 kids per women. If a country is hit by a disaster, everyone helps. But if a country is a disaster, remains disaster year after year, decade after decade and is going to be a even bigger disaster in future thanks to their high fertility rate and incompetence, then well, nobody is going to help you, or atleast, not many are going to help you.

^ A lesson for Pakistanis. Our TFR is 3.55. Improve economy and control population growth and stop begging.

 

[MH.Yang]

Come on, guys! Put a naval fleet into the Black Sea to protect Odessa and the grain ships and get the stuff out soonest. If the Russians try to stop you, deal with them!

The Russian govt has promised not to intercept any commercial ships leaving Odessa. Now it is a large number of Mines arranged by the Ukrainian govt forces that prevent Odessa ships from leaving. However, Ukrainian govt troops will not dismantle these mines, because once these mines are dismantled, Odessa will certainly be unable to defend. Now this is an unsolvable problem.

 

[dBSPL]

Come on, guys! Put a naval fleet into the Black Sea to protect Odessa and the grain ships and get the stuff out soonest. If the Russians try to stop you, deal with them!

Which naval fleet? There can be no such thing.

Ukraine and Russia; reached a technical agreement at the meeting that took place a few days ago. Final agreement is expected to be signed next week. At this time, such news is very meaningful! Someone does not want the destructive effect of war to diminish.

 

[dBSPL]

So many meetings took place in turkey with no meaning results from them

Let’s see how this one turns out

Ukraine grain exports deal to be signed next week​

Ukraine grain exports deal to be signed next week, says Turkey

Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations are due to sign a deal next week aimed at resuming Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports, but U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned there was still "a long way to go" before there would be peace talks to end the war.

www.reuters.com

Russia, Ukraine near to grain deal​

Russia, Ukraine near to grain deal as heavy shelling continues

More than 20 million tonnes of grain is stuck at Odesa port and unblocking exports could relieve a global food crisis.

www.aljazeera.com

Russia and Ukraine reach ‘basic’ deal on Black Sea grain ships​

Russia and Ukraine reach ‘basic’ deal on Black Sea grain ships, Turkey says

UN leader hails ‘substantive’ progress but says more work is still needed.

www.politico.eu

Ukraine-Russia grain talks: Kyiv says end to export blockade is close

UN cautious over Ukraine claim that end to grain blockade is close

Military officials from the two countries are holding their first face-to-face meetings for months in Istanbul, to discuss a UN plan to export grain and ease global shortages.

www.euronews.com

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The only solution is dialogue. Apart from this, any discourse that increases tension will not yield any results.

Especially the calls of some EU and American journalists and think-tank writers about sending the navy; It is an extremely ignorant and stupid example of populism.

Neither the French nor the US aircraft carriers can enter the Black Sea. None of these countries can bring their warships into the Black Sea en masse, or for more than a few weeks. This is not up for debate.

 

[sammuel]

Ukraine grain exports deal to be signed next week​

Ukraine grain exports deal to be signed next week, says Turkey

Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations are due to sign a deal next week aimed at resuming Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports, but U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned there was still "a long way to go" before there would be peace talks to end the war.

www.reuters.com

Russia, Ukraine near to grain deal​

Russia, Ukraine near to grain deal as heavy shelling continues

More than 20 million tonnes of grain is stuck at Odesa port and unblocking exports could relieve a global food crisis.

www.aljazeera.com

Russia and Ukraine reach ‘basic’ deal on Black Sea grain ships​

Russia and Ukraine reach ‘basic’ deal on Black Sea grain ships, Turkey says

UN leader hails ‘substantive’ progress but says more work is still needed.

www.politico.eu

Ukraine-Russia grain talks: Kyiv says end to export blockade is close

UN cautious over Ukraine claim that end to grain blockade is close

Military officials from the two countries are holding their first face-to-face meetings for months in Istanbul, to discuss a UN plan to export grain and ease global shortages.

www.euronews.com

***

The only solution is dialogue. Apart from this, any discourse that increases tension will not yield any results.

Especially the calls of some EU and American journalists and think-tank writers about sending the navy; It is an extremely ignorant and stupid example of populism.

Neither the French nor the US aircraft carriers can enter the Black Sea. None of these countries can bring their warships into the Black Sea en masse, or for more than a few weeks. This is not up for debate.

Indeed , I do not see a scenario where other countries intervene directly in this conflict. They all clearly made this clear in the last 4 months , that the best they would do is send aid and Weapons.

What i do see that if the the lines in the front remain the same , there will be pressure on Ukraine to make concession to end this war , that is effecting the whole world badly.

But the decision rests with Putin.

He already has large chunks of Ukraine and conquered a wide land bridge between Crimea and Russia. But still he shows no signs of wishing to end this war.







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[MH.Yang]

Indeed , I do not see a scenario where other countries intervene directly in this conflict. They all clearly made this clear in the last 4 months , that the best they would do is send aid and Weapons.

What i do see that if the the lines in the front remain the same , there will be pressure on Ukraine to make concession to end this war , that is effecting the whole world badly.

But the decision rests with Putin.

He already has large chunks of Ukraine and conquered a wide land bridge between Crimea and Russia. But still he shows no signs of wishing to end this war.







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Putin's real goal should be Kharkov, which is Ukraine's industrial and population center, the Russian speaking region. If Ukraine loses all its sea ports and Kharkov, its future will be tragic.

 

[dBSPL]

Indeed , I do not see a scenario where other countries intervene directly in this conflict. They all clearly made this clear in the last 4 months , that the best they would do is send aid and Weapons.

What i do see that if the the lines in the front remain the same , there will be pressure on Ukraine to make concession to end this war , that is effecting the whole world badly.

But the decision rests with Putin.

He already has large chunks of Ukraine and conquered a wide land bridge between Crimea and Russia. But still he shows no signs of wishing to end this war.







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TRUE. Unfortunately, bringing the NATO navy into the Black Sea is not a solution, and such a situation is technically out of the question. If the Straits convention is thrown away, the consequences will be much more severe. The Black Sea is the only sea in the world where the military presence of foreign elements is blocked due to its binding agreements.

International conventions are the last mechanism to protect the world from wider crises. If you erode one, someone else will erode another peace treaty, and all this creates a domino effect.

Beyond all this; While the USA harms Turkish interests in almost all of its policies in the region, Turkiye will never give the USA what it wants by ignoring its own interests.

 

[dBSPL]

Putin's real goal should be Kharkov, which is Ukraine's industrial and population center, the Russian speaking region. If Ukraine loses all its sea ports and Kharkov, its future will be tragic.

The goals set at the start of the war may change. Because the struggle on the chessboard is not one-sided, it is a mutual struggle. However, if a strategic goal that will change geopolitics is to be mentioned, this can be achieved by the Russian separatists obtaining an uninterrupted line from the Russian border to Moldova Transnistria.

Thus, Russia will not only form a buffer country, but also create a counter pressure line from Russia to Moldova and furthermore Romania, which has a critical role in NATO's BMD concept.

It also gives Russia the opportunity to dominate 60% of the Black Sea. This new geopolitic could thwarts NATO's plans for Georgia and even affects the political order in Bulgaria.

If such a strategic victory of Russia is combined with Turkiye's end of its active presence in NATO and its participation in structures such as the SCO, it will bring the end of NATO.