Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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October 31, 2007

Humanitarian Groups Plead for Help in Somalia Crisis
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1A14BB2:A6F02AD83191E1601566FE58F756759298CBE7246176B735 Groups say
security has gotten so bad that aid work has been all but frozen and
some people dying of starvation About 40 international aid groups have
issued a joint appeal to the international community about the growing
humanitarian crisis in Somalia.  As Nick Wadhams reports from Nairobi,
the groups say that security has gotten so bad that their aid work has
been all but frozen and some people are dying of starvation.







A Somali trader clears debris from the site of his market stall after
loosing everything he possesses in a fire, 3 Oct. 2007The appeal from
aid groups around the world followed the U.N. refugee agency
announcement that 35,000 people fled new fighting between Islamic
insurgents and Ethiopian troops during the weekend in Somalia's
capital, Mogadishu.  Thousands more fled in subsequent days.

About 400,000 people were believed to have fled after three months of
fighting that began when Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in December
to back the weak Transitional Federal Government and oust the Union of
Islamic Courts.

In their statement, the aid groups say that about 335,000 people in
the Mogadishu and Shabelle areas are in immediate need of help just to
survive.  But they say there is little they can do because security is
getting worse as the displaced people's needs increase.

Tony Burns is the operations director of SAACID Australia, which
joined the statement.  He said that his organization has been able to
continue work through its local branch but that the situation is dire.

"We can confirm cases in and around Mogadishu of deaths through
starvation now, that is occurring," he said.  "The situation is only
going to get worse.  The food that is coming in is inadequate to meet
the needs at the moment.  The recent fighting has subsided
momentarily, but the population within the city are very frightened
and are very worried about the future."

Burns says there could be some relief in terms of food aid within
weeks because the World Food Program and other agencies have asked the
international community to send more food.  But he says the time lag
between the request and the delivery of food aid is making people
vulnerable.

Aid groups say the situation is getting to be nearly as bad as it was
in the time of greatest chaos following dictator Mohammed Siad Barre's
ouster in 1991.  They also warn that because of the continued
instability, Somalia could see a full-blown clan civil war in the
coming months.


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