African Union postpones meeting on funding for Horn of Africa crisis| Liz Ford

Decision to delay talks on financial aid for famine victims could hinder efforts to help millions of people suffering in the region The African Union’s decision to postpone a pledging conference for east Africa has been described as a “serious blow” to relief efforts. Save the Children said on Friday the decision would hinder efforts to help millions of children suffering in the region. The AU had been due to meet on Monday to discuss members’ financial response to the crisis that is now affecting more than 12 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. But in a statement on Thursday the AU said the meeting had been re-scheduled for 25 August. The statement gave no specific reasons why the conference has been delayed, but it is understood the postponement would allow members more time to mobilise resources. Erastus Mwencha, the deputy chairman of the African Union commission, reportedly said some member countries felt they hadn’t been given enough notice of the conference. “There is no point of us rushing into a conference only again to come up again regretting [sic],” he was reported as saying. “Many African countries wanted to delay because they felt it was too short notice for them to be able to do something meaningful. We need some time for planning, and I think that request is well-founded.” Last month, the AU announced it was to give $300,000 to the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, to assist Somalis living in camps in Somalia and in neighbouring countries. The Daily Nation newspaper in Kenya reported an anonymous AU commissioner as saying the organisation was facing serious financial problems as a result of the uprisings in north Africa. Five countries, including Egypt and Libya, contribute around 75% of AU’s budget. Libya has suspended its contributions. This week, the UN declared that three further regions of Somalia were in a state of famine and expected it to spread across the south of the country over the next six weeks. The UN said more than $1bn in aid was still needed to address the crisis. Tens of thousands of people had already died in Somalia, which, after failed rains and two decades of conflict, is at the epicentre of the crisis. Humanitarian relief efforts in the south of Somalia and the capital, Mogadishu, are being hampered by al-Shabaab, the Islamist group that is refusing access to international aid agencies. On Friday, Andris Piebalgs, EU commissioner for development, pledged an extra €175m ($248m) in development assistance for Somaliland, Puntland and central Somalia, which are more stable. Rachel Palmer, working for Save the Children at Dadaab refugee camp complex in northern Kenya, where thousands of Somalis are arriving daily, said: “Children are dying from starvation every day, yet world leaders are failing to make good on their promises. Young children are arriving at our feeding centres in shocking conditions – they haven’t eaten or drunk anything for days. “Yet we can pull them back from the brink. We can save their lives – but there are many more we need to reach. The British public and government have been overwhelming in their generosity, now governments around the world have to turn words into action or more children will die.” Famine African Union Africa Aid Liz Ford guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 5, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.