Warning of looming "tragedy"

In response to a "resurgent drought and food emergency" in southern Somalia, the Somalia Aid Coordination Body (SACB) on Tuesday launched a donor alert for over US $17 million. "As indicators point towards yet another poor harvest, humanitarian agencies are gearing up once again to act in a timely manner to avert a major tragedy," the SACB, comprising donors, UN agencies and NGOs, said in a statement received by IRIN. It said the situation "looks increasingly precarious" because of erratic rainfall, continuing conflict, the disruption of trade routes and the cumulative effect of consecutive poor harvests. An estimated one million people are at risk, including 730,000 in Bay, Bakool and Gedo. Other affected areas include Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba and Hiran. The alert seeks to raise funds for emergency food, health, water, relief and mine awareness activities from July to December and falls within the framework of the 1999 UN Joint Appeal for Somalia. "The dangerous combination of war, drought and an economy in shambles means that food aid is only one component of an overall humanitarian response," the statement said. "The overall situation today is considerably worse than earlier in the year," it added.