Background
The famine crisis in the Horn of Africa has caused suffering to the population of that region especially the Somali people. The famine has been facilitated by two factors; the rising number of refugees and the 20-year-old civil war in Somalia. War is the major cause of famine because it prevents any farming or business activities from taking place. Because of war, agricultural production in Somalia is low and food supply is poor resulting in severe famine.
Policy Considerations
The United States government should put in place short term and long term measures to curb famine in Somalia. The short term strategies should include air lifting emergency food to the region with the help of the World Food Programme. This cannot be done without increasing security in the area. Somalia is one of the least accessible countries to aid organizations because of the high level of insecurity. Violence in Somalia and terrorist groups in particular have made it very difficult for aid organizations to deliver badly needed relief food to hungry Somalis. (J.L 2011). It is notable that the areas that are most in need of aid are the ones that are under the control of Al Shabaab, an extremist group that has been linked to Al Quaeda. Dozens of aid workers have been tragically murdered in the course of duty. Al Shabaab has even gone to the extent of blocking starving Somalis from moving to Kenya or Ethiopia where they can get food. The terrorists also steal food aid meant for starving civilians and use it to beef up their supplies.
Security needs to be enhanced in Somalia in order to enable humanitarian agencies to deliver badly needed aid to suffering Somalis without fear of attack from terrorists. Many aid workers have been killed in Somali while supplying food to hungry population especially those in refugee camps. Some aid organizations have even scaled down their operations and evacuated staff from the Horn of Africa because of security risks. This slows down the supply of food aid.
As a response to the security problem, the United States government should increase its military presence in order to improve security in the region. A strong offensive against Al Shabaab can repel the group and cause it to retreat. A similar operation was conducted by Ethiopia successfully. Al Shabaab only regrouped several years later. America has the troops, the equipment and the fire power to repel Al Shabaab and effectively get them out of the way. One easy way to do this is to use American intelligence systems to help Amisom and Kenyan troops to identify and destroy Al Shabaab hideouts. American intelligence can also be used to disable their communication. Once the terrorists are out of the way, aid will flow smoothly into Somalia and Somalis themselves will be free to work hard at rebuilding their lives. (Hillary 2011). This will increase the supply of food to Somalia saving people from hunger.
The only way to control Al Shabaab is by an aggressive military action against them. The group has also interfered with business and farming activities making Somalis unproductive. The low standards of living among Somali people can be attributed to the presence of such terrorist groups. All people of goodwill should join hands to crack down on these terrorists in order to restore law and order in the war torn country (Charles 2011).
Recommendations
Among the possible solution to famine in the horn of Africa are:
Improving infrastructure in Somalia. The poor road network has hampered effective transportation of relief food and trade.
Building roads in Somalia. This will encourage investment in the area. After the Somali terrorist group is gotten rid of, more people will invest in Somalia.
This investment will create jobs for the Somali people, making it more difficult for Al Shabaab to recruit more members. Many young people join the terrorist group because they are poor and jobless.
Conclusion
In conclusion, famine in Somalia has caused untold suffering to Somali people and to the East African region. The problem now threatens the security of the region and of the world. It needs to be addressed soon. The US can help to get rid of hunger in the Horn of Africa because this crisis can come to an end. The burden should not be borne by Somalis alone. With help from the United States, the problem can be solved.
References
Charles Kenny, (July 25, 2011), Famine Is a Crime, civilization has defeated mass starvation. So why are so many Somalis dying of hunger? http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/25/famine_is_a_crime
J.L., (Sep 5th 2011), 17:27 Famine in the Horn of Africa: How have things changed? Nairobi
Hillary Rodham Clinton, (August 11, 2011), Remarks on the Food Crisis in the Horn of Africa
International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/08/170417.htm
East African Famine 2011 (Somalia) http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/famine/index.html
U.S government initiative, (September 2011), fact sheet: Horn of Africa food crisis http://www.feedthefuture.gov/documents/FTFHornOfAfrica9-7-11.pdf
The economist, (Jul 30th 2011), Chronicle of a famine foretold: Did the world react too late to signs of famine in Somalia? Nairobi
http://www.economist.com/node/21524864
