Donors wary of funding Somalia as crisis deepens, U.N. says

Internally displaced women receive cooked meals in southern Mogadishu. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

NAIROBI (AlertNet) – Aid donors are reluctant to fund Somalia because they cannot see its suffering for themselves, fear money may be diverted to Islamist fighters and prefer longer-term solutions, the U.N. humanitarian chief said on Thursday.

“The world must not forget Somalia,” Valerie Amos, the U.N. Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told a press conference in Kenya after visiting the Horn of Africa country, whose already dire needs are being compounded by drought.

“We need to persuade our donors that this is a crisis and these are people that require our support. Quite frankly, it is more difficult to do it when donors aren’t able to go into the country and see the situation on the ground.”Read More