Published: 3 February 2004
Aid for nearly 1.9 million drought-affected Eritreans must come now if a catastrophic food crisis is to be avoided, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned today as it launched an emergency drought appeal.
The Eritrean Red Cross will concentrate its assistance in one of the hardest hit regions, Anseba Zoba, where a regional disaster response team assessment found a critical situation in December. Although the Red Cross relief operation in this area has managed to prevent malnutrition getting out of control, figures are still alarming, indicating an increase from 16 per cent in 2002 to 20 per cent by the end of 2003.
“Food is hard to find and water is scarce. We saw children and women walking for 15-20 km only to find long queues at the few remaining functioning water points,” said Steve Penny, the Federation’s regional disaster management coordinator.
Anseba Zoba is indicative of the situation elsewhere in Eritrea, where the consequences of three years of continuous drought are painfully evident. Within a year, the price of white sorghum increased by 50 per cent. The increase in cereal prices has prompted the distress sale of livestock, whose value has fallen drastically. UN agencies estimate cereal production to be only 22 per cent (approximately 105,000 tonnes) of the country’s annual requirements of 612,000 tonnes.
“A dramatic situation was averted last year, when, due to a severe food shortage, all aid agencies were forced to cut their rations down to 60 per cent of the basic humanitarian standard in order to assist increasing numbers of vulnerable people. As we speak, food stocks are running low. We must act!” says Ola Skuterud, Federation’s head of delegation in Asmara.
Responding to urgent calls from the population and authorities, the Eritrean Red Cross intends to continue food distribution and water trucking, as well as repairing and building new water points, for 50,000 people. The International Federation appeal seeks 4.8 million Swiss francs (US$ 3,8 million) for a nine-month relief operation, which will be combined with health and agricultural activities, aimed at addressing and reducing long-term vulnerabilities.