| Somalia famine |
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The citizens had to fight for their lives against powerful and power-hungry militia, as well as surviving the effects of a long drought that the country was suffering. Food was scarce throughout the country and millions of people were forced away from their homes in search of the foodstuffs. When the famine had reached critical levels, international aid organizations were called in for assistance. Large trucks transported food aid to stations around the country. People began to flock to these stations with the hope that they would get sufficient nourishment for their survival. However, the militias were working against the citizens. Many of the aid convoys were hijacked on their way to the aid camps. The militias took the hijacked food to their chief’s, or across the borders, where it was sold in return for guns and other artillery. Thus, the aid, instead of helping the struggling Somali citizens, only fuelled the fighting in the country. After militias opened fire on the food convoys, the international organizations had to find other ways of getting food aid to the right people. Cargo planes were brought in and remote food drops were organized. These food drops were far more successful than the convoys had been, but were less frequent. Thus, the citizens still faced the fight for their lives. Three hundred thousand Somalis died as a result of the famine. Another two million people faced the hardships that come with being displaced, and reliant on an unreliable food supply. The civil war continued until the end of 1993 and with it, the citizens were subjected to the most difficult three years of their lives. With horrors and hardships, however, comes a unification of people in the world attempting to save and to support their fellows in times of need.  |
