In olden times Eritrean elders used to gather under the cool shades of the Memona
tree to discuss community issues and offer words of wisdom.
This page is setup with the objective to bring together people who believe
in offering concrete solutions and sharing words of wisdom.
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Oxfam Press Release |
September 9, 1999
Africa’s
forgotten lives
Oxfam cites double standards
In a report released today Oxfam
called upon the international community to respond to Africa’s long running crises
with the same humanitarian commitment it showed over Kosovo – through providing
immediate and adequate levels of aid and powerful diplomacy that helps secure peace.
The agency cited double standards as
the reason why Africa was being short-changed. Looking at five current African crises,
Oxfam estimates that for every African life at risk the world is willing to pay
approximately $10 in humanitarian aid; for a Kosovan the figure is nearly $600 - this
excludes peace keeping and reconstruction costs.
"Kosovo has shown that when the
world wants to deal with a humanitarian crisis it can mobilise massive resources and the
political will. We are not expecting NATO to scramble to every African crisis. But what we
are calling for is that the world should not treat Africans as second class citizens.
African crises should be viewed through the same humanitarian prism – and the same of
course is true for East Timor. Millions of Africans need aid to keep them alive and
diplomacy to secure peace – and they need it now," said David Bryer, Oxfam
Director.
Diplomacy has to be backed up by
action. Securing the August peace deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo needs 25,000 UN
peacekeepers by the end of December. So far only South Africa has offered 800 troops.
Securing peace in D.R. Congo will not be easy – but it will be impossible if the UN
cannot deploy peacekeepers.
The report, Africa’s
Forgotten Crises: People in Peril, looks at five African countries – Angola,
Ethiopia, Eritrea, D. R. Congo and Sierra Leone – that are either at war or are
tentatively holding on to a fragile peace. These countries share appallingly high child
death rates that are exacerbated by long-running wars. Their natural wealth has been
squandered in the pursuit of war and they all need immediate humanitarian assistance. But
there is also a real opportunity to build lasting peace if only they were given the chance
– the same chance the people of Kosovo have received.
This table represents Oxfam’s
estimates. Issues of access to certain areas due to war and insecurity means that the
figures are approximate.
|
Angola |
Ethiopia |
Eritrea |
Sierra
Leone |
DR
Congo |
Total |
Kosovo |
| No. at risk |
2,000,000 |
5,000,000 |
Up to
500,000 |
1,500,000 |
500,000
to 1,500,000 |
10,000,000 (approx) |
815,500
(no. of refugees who fled country during crisis) |
| No. displaced |
1,700,000 |
315,000 |
Up to
500,000 |
1,000,000 |
750,000 |
4,265,000 |
43,200
(no. of Kosovo refugees in the region) |
Death rates per
1,000 for under 5s (1997)
(UK figure 7/1000) |
292 per
1,000 |
175 per
1,000 |
116 per
1,000 |
316 per
1,000 |
207 per
1,000 |
|
21 per
1,000
(figure for Yugoslavia) |
Amount requested by
UN in humani-
tarian aid appeals 1999 |
$106m |
$28m |
$7.2m
(Eritrean govt. appeal) |
$25m |
$38.8m |
$205m |
$690m |
| Amount pledged by
donors |
$57m |
$26.6m |
n/a |
$9.5m |
$4.3m |
$97.4m |
$47m |
| Notes |
3,000,000 people live
in rebel held areas. These areas are inaccessible. No data exists about their conditions. |
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Since the peace deal
70 per cent of the country has been open to humanitarian aid. Conditions of people living
in these areas are sketchy |
Aid agencies have been
restricted to major towns. Little is known about conditions in the interior |
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At a recent conference
donors pledged $2bn for Balkans region reconstruction |
ENDS
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