4 Mar 2011

SOMALIA / DROUGHT

Somali officials are calling on the international community to step up efforts to address the impact of the devastating drought in Somalia, warning that the country is on the brink of a humanitarian disaster if action is not taken immediately.
AU / UNIST

Posted at: March 4, 2011 2:36 pm

Duration: 02:21

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: SOMALIA/ DROUGHT
TRT: 2.21
SOURCE: AFRICAN UNION / UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SUPPORT TEAM (AU/UNIST)
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: RECENT, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOTLIST:

1.Wide shot, Somalis queuing for food handouts 
2.Close up, food rations being served to people in buckets 
3.Med shot, bananas handed out by official to woman, and then to little girl
4.SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed: Prime Minister of Somalia 
"If we don't receive any help from the international community, definitely you will see close to 2.5 Million people will definitely starve very soon, to prevent that we contacted WFP and we call all our donors to help this humanitarian crises."
5.Pan right, queue of people lining up for food 
6.SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Somalia:
"In terms of food aid delivery, in terms of medical facilities and materials delivery we have cooperated with the international agencies whether it's UNDP, World Food Programme, UNHCR. But equally we have cooperated with agencies from the Islamic World who have already gained access directly into the areas under al-Shabaab, to ensure that the people living in al-Shabaab do not suffer because al-Shabaab does not accept UNHCR, but they accept agencies from the Islamic world."
7.Med shot, people sitting in shade, young boy in white shirt featured
8.Close up, child stares into camera
9.SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Somalia:
"We have cooperated and brought in agencies from the Islamic World to ensure al-Shabaab does not have a reason or an excuse to reject the aid reaching the people that are there. We have cooperated with neighbouring countries to enable them and the different regions of Somalia to open their ports and their roads for this food aid, medical aid, water drilling equipment all of these things to reach the different regions of the country." 
10.Med shot, malnourished Child looks to his mother on a bed
11.Close Up,  boy in malnourished boy in mother's arms

STORYLINE

Somalia's Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said that further aid is needed to help combat the effects of the drought.

SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed: Prime Minister of Somalia 
"If we don't receive any help from the international community, definitely you will see close to 2.5 Million people will definitely starve very soon, to prevent that we contacted WFP and we call all our donors to help this humanitarian crises."

The drought is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in Somalia, where civilians have been caught up in the fighting pitting forces of the country's transitional government, who are backed by African Union peacekeepers, against insurgents of the Al-Shabaab armed group and other militants.

Somalia's Foreign Minister said that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is working closely with international as well as Islamic aid agencies, ensuring the delivery of aid to areas controlled by al-Shabaab.

SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Somalia:
"In terms of food aid delivery, in terms of medical facilities and materials delivery we have cooperated with the international agencies whether it's UNDP, World Food Programme, UNHCR. But equally we have cooperated with agencies from the Islamic World who have already gained access directly into the areas under al-Shabaab, to ensure that the people living in al-Shabaab do not suffer because al-Shabaab does not accept UNHCR, but they accept agencies from the Islamic world."

He said that the TFG is also reaching out to neighbouring nations in order to coordinate better delivery.

SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Somalia:
"We have cooperated and brought in agencies from the Islamic World to ensure al-Shabaab does not have a reason or an excuse to reject the aid reaching the people that are there. We have cooperated with neighbouring countries to enable them and the different regions of Somalia to open their ports and their roads for this food aid, medical aid, water drilling equipment all of these things to reach the different regions of the country."

Last month UN humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos had warned that severe drought in Somalia had led to more people becoming internally displaced and others moving into refugee camps across the border in Kenya, as food and water scarcity worsen.

An estimated 2.4 million people – 32 per cent of the country's 7.2 million people – are in need of relief aid as a result of drought and two decades of conflict.