Africa

Somaliland: Call for Urgent Response to Drought

July 9, 2012   ·   320144 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2Fsomaliland-call-urgent-response-drought-32014Somaliland%3A+Call+for+Urgent+Response+to+Drought2012-07-09+19%3A57%3A52goth+Mohamedhttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2F%3Fp%3D32014

 

Ref: SONSAF/86/18

Date: 09/07/2012

PRESS RELEASE

Call for Urgent Response to Drought

The Somaliland Non State Actors Forum (SONAF) calls on the International Community and the Somaliland Government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the communities affected by the current drought.

SONSAF further proposes the formulation of a long term national strategic plan to address these recurrent droughts in the country.

 

09 July, 2012

Hargeisa-

In a meeting held today in the SONSAF office, the members of Somaliland Non State Actors Forum discussed the impact of the drought that is currently affecting some regions of the country and ways of alleviating the suffering of the distressed communities.

 

After the meeting SONSAF issued a press release calling on the International Community, the Somaliland Government and the people of Somaliland to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the affected people, adding that there is an emergency situation in some communities.

 

SONSAF has also called on the religious leaders, who are an important component of the Somaliland community, to raise public awareness about the effects of the drought by organizing religious events and using Mosque pulpits to encourage citizens to assist their suffering compatriots.

 

Besides the press release in today’s meeting, SONSAF members started collecting donations from individual members of the Forum in order to set an example for the other social sectors and urged every Somaliland citizen to play his part in this national effort.

SONSAF recommends to the government and local donors (Samaritans), who offer support to their follow citizens to avoid concentrating their assistance on one location (district/region etc) but to spread the assistance to cover all the affected areas, particularly, the locations most in need.

SONSAF also recommends the establishment of an effective coordination system for all the assistance intended for the drought response that is coming from the government, international community and the Somaliland Diaspora, in order to avoid duplication of effort and waste of resources and failure to reach people most in need.

Finally, the SONSAF members called for the establishment of a comprehensive national strategy to address the dire effects of the recurrent droughts, which they agreed is largely caused by lack of national drought preparedness and mitigation plan.

Endorsed by all members of SONSAF

Adam Haji Ali Ahmed

SONSAF Chairperson

aadamhaji@sonsaf.org

 

Tell: 00252 2 4414335/4122383 Fixed line: 00252-2-570536

Email:Sonsafed@gmail.com, info@sonsaf.org Web: www.sonsaf.org

 

 

 

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By goth Mohamed

Tags: Aid, Hunger, Somaliland: Call for Urgent Response to Drought