Metro

Somali Minister pleads for aid to avoid deaths from famine

Published

2 years ago

September 17, 2022

The Somali State Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Minister, Nasir Arush, has pleaded with international humanitarian organisations to urgently come to the aid of the country’s drought-stricken south if the area is to avoid famine-induced deaths in the next few weeks.

Arush who made the plea on Saturday, said the country’s South West region, which is experiencing the worst of the drought, is expecting many deaths from famine if aid is not quickly scaled up.

The South West state has been one of the places the United Nations expects famine to arise as the prolonged and worst drought in 40 years continues to devastate the country.

In the plea, Arush said he was devastated after he visited hard-hit areas, including Wajid in Bakol region, stating that the situation is desperate.

“You know, we have been dealing with drought for the last three years but the situation is getting really, really bad.

“The latest report showed that 214,130 people in South West, that number was 112,400 on June 4.”

An aid worker, Dr Said Yusuf Mohamed who works at a stabilisation centre, a unit inside the biggest hospital in South West state, told journalists that the drought was having a devastating toll on children and women who have been most vulnerable.

Mohamed said it was a sad situation that at least one child died daily at his stabilisation centre due to malnutrition.

“You can see that the number of patients who need treatment for malnutrition is increasing and there are times when the hospital reaches beyond its capacity, and now it is possible to admit over 90 patients a week and sometimes more than 20 a day,” he said.

“As it stands, more than seven million people, half of them children and women, are facing death if nothing is done and urgently too,” he added.

Related Topics:Aid Deaths Drought Famine Featured Somalia

Click to comment

Metro

‘Cyber Act fails to protect the vulnerable,’ Student demands media inclusivity for persons with disabilities

Published

6 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Peter Libila, a student at Icof University’s Chipata campus, highlights the lack of awareness among individuals with disabilities and those residing in rural areas about their digital rights, resulting in limited access to media platforms for free expression.

Libila underscored the marginalization of people with disabilities in discussions on community development, leading to their exclusion from voicing their perspectives.

In an interview with Zambia Monitor in Eastern Province, Libila discussed the discrimination and stigma faced by individuals with disabilities in the media landscape.

Read More: Differently-abled person speaks on challenges impacting freedom of expression in rural areas

“Persons with disabilities are often overlooked when it comes to community developments,” he emphasized.

Moreover, as someone with a physical disability, Libala pointed out shortcomings in the Cybersecurity Act which failed to adequately address online barriers to freedom of expression.

“The act fails to ensure online safety for all; it only offers protection to certain groups while neglecting others,” he asserted.

He stressed the importance of bridging these gaps to foster inclusivity within the media.

“There’s a lack of sign language interpreters in most media outlets, which poses challenges for the deaf community,” he observed.

Libila also emphasized the necessity of providing braille reading materials and writing tools for individuals who are blind.

“Even basic resources like braille books are often unavailable for the blind,” he lamented.

This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.

Metro

All my tough policy decisions are in Nigerians’ interest— Tinubu

Published

10 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has insisted that all his tough policy decisions and reforms have been taken with the interest of Nigerians at heart.

Tinubu, who made the assertion in Hague, The Netherlands, during the business session of the bilateral meeting with the Dutch team led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, insisted that though some of the policies had brought hardship on Nigerian masses, he was not afraid to implement more of such policies as they would yield positive results in the end.

“I am a determined leader of my people. I am ever ready to take tough decisions in the best interest of the people, even if with initial pains,” Tinubu said.

“I have and will continue to take the difficult decisions that will benefit our people, even if there is short-term pain.

“We have gone through the worst of the storms. I am unafraid of the consequences once I know that my actions are in the best long-term interests of all Nigerians.

“The Nigerian naira is one of the world’s best-performing currencies today.

“We took the necessary risk, and all resilient Nigerians kept faith with us.

“They will be rewarded, and the reward will only be greater as we partner effectively with you on new opportunities for development.

“As leaders, we must make decisions for the benefit of our nations, and we cannot shy away from that.”

The President also noted that symbiotic economic ties remain the best long-term path to sustainable and mutual prosperity rather than one-sided relationships in which bilateral trade is skewed too much in one direction.