Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Thursday, 20 April 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 April 2006. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 May 2006 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Somalia

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to avoid famine in Somalia.

Answer: The UK recognises the severity of the current humanitarian situation in Somalia and the risks of further deterioration. The most pessimistic predictions, however, including famine, are only likely if the 2006 long rains fail. Fortunately these have now started and are continuing well. So far we see malnutrition and mortality rates that are high but not yet catastrophic, and some of the predicted drought enforced migrations that had been envisaged have not taken place. This is likely to be, at least in part, due to the efforts of the relief agencies.The UK is one of the leading donors to humanitarian response in Somalia and provided one of the first contributions to the World Food Programme (WFP) food aid operation in December 2005. Since then, we have contributed over £12 million to the WFP, the International Committee of the Red Cross, to other UN agencies and non- governmental organisations to deal with the humanitarian crisis there.We continue to follow developments closely. It will be some time, however, before the rains result in better conditions and prospects for people in the worst effected areas. Indeed, the immediate effect on weakened human and livestock populations may be increased risks for example from water-borne disease and flooding, and interruptions to the supply of relief.

Secondary information