Somalia - the crime of 21st Century Part 1

We organised two small conferences in Nairobi last week; the first, convened by the Muslim Charities Forum, aimed to unite local faith based charities from Somalia and Kenya.

On the following day, 15th August, The Humanitarian Forum organised a larger conference with more diverse participants, agencies, international NGOs, plus local agencies.

I remember a word of wisdom from Mark Bowden, UN Humanitarian Coordinator: ‘We cannot prevent drought; we can prevent famine. Access is difficult but not impossible’. I completely agree with Mark- in order to help, we must take that extra step and walk that extra mile. A few organisations managed to walk this extra mile and succeed. Why can’t others?

On the other hand, we can’t prevent famine alone- it’s all about working together for the sake of everybody involved. This is why I call it a crime of the 21st Century: we’ve let this situation drag on and on for two or three decades, without finding a concrete solution to the problem.

Early warning systems are all good; however, working together is the solution. East and West, North and South- partnerships should be based on trust and sincere cooperation.

I question international corporations, as well as every individual. My message is simple: None of us can run away from being responsible for Somalia and any other countries nowadays.

To be continued...