A Triangle of Death

The UN and aid agencies have described the current situation in the East and Horn of Africa as the worst drought in 60 years and the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world.” Somalia is the worst affected nation but parts of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti are also hit. The Kenyan government has urged the UN to set up camps inside Somalia, saying the huge influx of refugees rushing to Kenya in search of food and shelter is unmanageable.

Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The Unites States and NATO claimed they went into Libya due to humanitarian concerns. Why haven’t they initiated any type of action in Somalia? If ever there were humanitarian concerns this qualifies; Libyans were not starving to death by the millions.

Strategically located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia remains one of the countries generating the highest number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP) in the world. The refugees, mostly women and children, make the long and perilous journey to the world's largest refugee camp, Dadaab, in north of Kenya, a Press TV correspondent reported. Established in 1991, the camp can accommodate 90,000 refugees, but nearly 440,000 people are now living there, which by far outnumbers Dadaab's capacity, reports indicate.

The World Food Program (WFP) says it needs $360 million in urgent funds; the organization is heavily dependent on U.S. funding. Washington however has provided limited aid arguing that it doesn’t want it to get into the hands of Al-Shabab fighters. If the our government here in the U.S. is so concerned about humanitarian violations it seems instead of funding imperialist wars and puppet governments in Iran, Afghanistan, and now Libya they would step in to stop millions from dying. The U.S. appears to only be interested in Somali in relation to its so called “war on terror,” piracy, and oil. The money that the WFP has requested from the United States is around the amount that is being spent every day on unjust and imperialist wars around the globe.