|
Between July 2011 and mid-2012, a severe drought affected the entire East Africa region. Said to be "the worst in 60 years",〔 the drought caused a severe food crisis across Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya that threatened the livelihood of 9.5 million people. Many refugees from southern Somalia fled to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, where crowded, unsanitary conditions together with severe malnutrition led to a large number of deaths.〔 Other countries in East Africa, including Sudan, South Sudan and parts of Uganda, were also affected by a food crisis. According to FAO-Somalia, the food crisis in Somalia primarily affected farmers in the south rather than the northern pastoralists. HRW consequently noted that most of the displaced persons belonged to the agro-pastoral Rahanweyn clan and the agricultural Bantu ethnic minority group. On 20 July, the United Nations officially declared famine in two regions in the southern part of the country (IPC Phase 5), the first time a famine had been declared in the region by the UN in nearly thirty years. Tens of thousands of people are believed to have died in southern Somalia before famine was declared.〔 Although fighting disrupted aid delivery in some areas, a scaling up of relief operations in mid-November had unexpectedly significantly reduced malnutrition and mortality rates in southern Somalia, prompting the UN to downgrade the humanitarian situation in the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabele regions from famine to emergency levels. According to the Lutheran World Federation, military activities in the country's southern conflict zones had also by early December 2011 greatly reduced the movement of migrants. By February 2012, several thousand people had also begun returning to their homes and farms.〔 In addition, humanitarian access to rebel-controlled areas had improved and rainfall had surpassed expectations, improving the prospects of a good harvest in early 2012.〔 By January 2012, the food crisis in southern Somalia was no longer at emergency levels according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Although security restrictions precluded the collection of updated information in December/January for a few regions in southern Somalia, the UN indicated in February 2012 that indirect data from health and relief centers pointed to improved general conditions from August 2011. The UN also announced that the famine in southern Somalia was over.〔(U.N. Says Famine in Somalia Is Over, but Risks Remain )〕 However, FEWS NET indicated that Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity persisted through March in the southern riverine parts of the Juba and Gedo regions, the south-central agropastoral zones of Hiran and Middle Shebele, the southeast pastoral sections of Shebele and Juba, and the north-central Coastal Deeh on account of crop flooding and ongoing military operations in these areas, which restricted humanitarian access, trade and movement. The UN also warned that, in a worst-case scenario of poor rains and price instability, conditions would remain at crisis level for about 31% of the population in limited-access areas until the August harvest season. In the most-likely scenario, the FSNAU and FEWS NET expected the April–June rains to be average. Ameliorated food security outcomes were also expected on account of the start of the ''Deyr'' harvest, which reached 200% of the post-war mean and was predicted to be significantly higher than usual. With the exception of some coastal areas, the abundant rainfall in most parts of central and northern Somalia replenished pastureland and also further boosted the purchasing power of local herders. With the benefit of the current harvest expected to ebb in May, the UN stressed that continued multi-sectoral response was necessary to secure the gains made,〔 and that general humanitarian needs requiring international assistance would persist until at least September 2012.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=OCHA - Somalia - Famine & Drought Situation Report No. 3225 January 2012 )〕 Aid agencies subsequently shifted their emphasis to recovery efforts, including digging irrigation canals and distributing plant seeds.〔 Long-term strategies by national governments in conjunction with development agencies were said to offer the most sustainable results.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.africa-eu-partnership.org/node/2158 )〕 ==Background== Weather conditions over the Pacific, including an unusually strong La Niña, have interrupted seasonal rains for two consecutive seasons. The rains failed in 2011 in Kenya and Ethiopia, and for the previous two years in Somalia.〔〔 In many areas, the precipitation rate during the main rainy season from April to June, the primary season, was less than 30% of the average of 1995–2010.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Eastern Africa: Humanitarian Snapshot )〕 The lack of rain led to crop failure and widespread loss of livestock, as high as 40%–60% in some areas, which decreased milk production as well as exacerbating a poor harvest. As a result, cereal prices rose to record levels while livestock prices and wages fell, reducing purchasing power across the region.〔 Rains were also not expected to return until September of the year.〔 The crisis is compounded by rebel activity around southern Somalia from the Al-Shabaab group.〔 The head of the United States Agency for International Development, Rajiv Shah, stated that climate change contributed to the severity of the crisis. "There's no question that hotter and drier growing conditions in sub-Saharan Africa have reduced the resiliency of these communities."〔 On the other hand, two experts with the International Livestock Research Institute suggested that it was premature to blame climate change for the drought. While there is consensus that a particularly strong La Niña contributed to the intensity of the drought, the relationship between La Niña and climate change is not well-established. The failure of the international community to heed the early warning system was criticized for leading to a worsening of the crisis. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, financed by U.S.A.I.D., anticipated the crisis as early as August 2010, and by January 2011, the American ambassador to Kenya declared a disaster and called for urgent assistance. On 7 June 2011, FEWS NET declared that the crisis was "the most severe food security emergency in the world today, and the current humanitarian response is inadequate to prevent further deterioration". The UN later announced on 28 June that 12 million people in the East Africa region were affected by the drought and that some areas were on the brink of famine, with many displaced in search of water and food. Oxfam's humanitarian director Jane Cocking stated that “This is a preventable disaster and solutions are possible.” Suzanne Dvorak, the chief executive of Save the Children, wrote that "politicians and policymakers in rich countries are often skeptical about taking preventative action because they think aid agencies are inflating the problem. Developing country governments are embarrassed about being seen as unable to feed their people. () these children are wasting away in a disaster that we could—and should—have prevented." Soon after a famine was declared in parts of southern Somalia. Oxfam also charged several European governments of "wilful neglect" over the crisis.〔 It issued a statement saying that "The warning signs have been seen for months, and the world has been slow to act. Much greater long-term investment is needed in food production and basic development to help people cope with poor rains and ensure that this is the last famine in the region." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2011 East Africa drought」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|