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Mitchell: 400,000 children risk death through starvation in Somalia

UK International Development Secretary visits Mogadishu

17 August 2011

Up to 400,000 children are at risk of death through starvation if urgent action is not taken now, Andrew Mitchell said today on a visit to Mogadishu. The International Development Secretary announced Britain will supply vital aid, including extra food and medical supplies, to more than 800,000 women and children in Somalia, as figures show that half of those who have died during the famine in Somalia are children.

Mr Mitchell – the first British Minister to visit Mogadishu in over 18 years - warned that without an urgent response, the crisis could become as bad as the famine in 1991-2. This saw over 200,000 people lose their lives. Aid workers are now seeing some of the same severe malnutrition rates in certain areas, and over 50% of the population is affected.

Lack of health care, inadequate immunisation, poor access to clean water and sanitation are all contributing to a rise in disease outbreaks, including cholera and measles. Urgent action in all these sectors, not just food assistance, is vital to prevent more unnecessary deaths.

The UK’s new package of support to the UN organisation for children, UNICEF, will allow them to double the number of children they are reaching in their supplementary feeding programme. The £25m children’s package will provide:

  • up to 192,000 people with two months of supplementary rations
  • supplies to vaccinate at least 800,000 children against measles, plus 300,000 with polio vaccines, vitamin A and deworming
  • support to malaria preparedness, including provision of over 100,000 treated bednets, 50,000 malaria testing kits, and treatment capacity for 4,000 cases of malaria

Speaking in Mogadishu, Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, said:

"I came to Mogadishu today to see first-hand how Britain can best help people that have been hit by this devastating famine. Evidence of malnutrition is not just in the camps and feeding centres but on every street corner.

"The stark fact is that in southern Somalia the situation is deteriorating by the day. We could face deaths on a similar scale to those seen in 1991-2 if we do not act urgently now. This is a race against time.

"That is why we are providing this crucial package of support aimed at children, which comes on top of earlier UK support to the region – and the generous help given by the British public through the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal.

"But we must also see better security and more access for humanitarian workers. I have discussed these issues with the Prime Minister today. By responding quickly, we can save many more lives and avert a human catastrophe.

"Other countries must also maintain and increase their support at this crucial stage. Or we risk seeing a whole generation of people decimated by starvation and disease – and further instability across the region."

During Mr Mitchell’s historic visit to Mogadishu he visited an IDP camp and feeding centre, discussed progress of aid delivery with British-backed UN and NGO partners, met with Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed as well as the Deputy Mayor Iman Nur Icar, the Ministers for Women and Family Affairs, Planning and International Co-operation, and Minister for Interior and State Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Finance and Information.

The UK will also provide £4m to FAO to help protect the remaining livestock by supporting treatment and vaccination of 2.1 million animals weakened by the drought, benefitting 70,000 livestock owners and distribute seeds and fertilisers to 12,500 households.

Britain’s response to the drought crisis in Somalia will now provide:

  • treatment for over 60,000 acutely malnourished children;
  • cash and/or vouchers to over 160,000 people for at least three months to purchase food;
  • 2 months of blanket supplementary rations to 192,000 people to prevent malnutrition;
  • food rations for over 19,000 people for up to three months;
  • access to safe water for over 300,000 people;
  • livestock support or agricultural supplies (including seeds) to 191,600 people;
  • access to healthcare to 140,000 people;
  • measles vaccinations for 800,000 children;
  • 100,000 treated bednets to prevent malaria;
  • shelter for over 46,000 people.

Notes to editors

  1. Planes and trucks carrying crucial British-backed aid have already arrived in some of the most drought-stricken regions.
  2. UNICEF has a record of saving children's lives in Somalia and is already distributing life saving humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of children. Since July, more than 4000 metric tonnes of life saving supplies have been distributed in the south of the country. These include ready to use therapeutic food for over 30,000 severely acutely malnourished children, blanket supplementary food for 65,000 families and cooked meals in 3 strategic transit points where more than 13,000 meals are being provided on a daily basis.
  3. On 16 July, during a visit to Kenya, the SoS announced:
    • £11.25m of support for 200,000 people in Kenya which will provide:
    • Food rations provided to 115,400 malnourished children and breast feeding women
    • Complementary feeding and nutritional supplements provided to 86,000 children and 129,000 pregnant women
    • Treatment of more than 90,000 malnourished children
    • £6 million for more than 130,000 refugees in the Dadaab camps in Kenya which will provide:
    • Nutritional support for 23,000 children and breastfeeding women
    • Access to safe drinking water for 105,000 people
    • tents and cooking equipment to 3,500 families
    • healthcare for 153,000 people
    • 15,000 kilos of emergency stock of ‘plumpy nut’ used to treat malnourished children
    • £10m to help refugees in the Dolo Ado camps in Ethiopia (in addition to British support for 1.36 million people in Ethiopia announced on 3rd July 2011), which will provide:
    • Support for registering and receiving 57,600 refugees;
    • Treatment for severe acute malnutrition for 6,300 children, and treatment for acute malnutrition for 21,600 children;
    • Shelter for 36 000 people;
    • Access to safe water for 100 000 people, and;
    • Blankets, jerry cans and basic cooking utensils for over 100,000 people.
    • £25 million of support to more than 500,000 victims of drought in Somalia.
    • Today’s announcement increases the Somalia allocation since July to £54m
  4. In Kenya, over the past year, UKaid has provided:
    • treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition for more than 40,000 children;
    • safe water and sanitation to 328,000 people;
    • and water, food and veterinary care for almost 500,000 livestock;
    • by reducing herd sizes, DFID has ensured increased food security and income for over 75,000 people as farmers are able to concentrate their resources on stronger animals.
    • The UK also runs a Hunger Safety net programme which helps 60,000 of the most vulnerable households across Northern Kenya to buy food. The bi-monthly payment of Kshs 2,150/= has been doubled (to Ksh 4,300 per household) for the July/August payment cycle to assist beneficiaries cope with adversity of drought
  5. Relief agencies estimate US$2.48 billion is required across the Horn. To date US$1.32 billion has been raised - just over 50%. The UK has been lobbying the international community. In the last two weeks, over £110m has been pledged from other countries, according to UK estimates. However, more action is needed and the UK will urge all members of the international community to step up and provide urgent assistance.
  6. More details of DFID humanitarian aid to the Horn can be found at: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Horn-of-Africa-aid-monitor/

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