The news headlines have been dominated by speculation about the upcoming presidential elections and economic issues. These issues may be important, but a much more dire situation has been almost entirely neglected. The famine in Somalia has received some coverage, but not enough.
A brief description of the situation from Unicef is, “The famine in Somalia is swift and dreadful. Millions have been affected.” While the Republican debates may end in a train wreck and the looming threats to a fragile economy may be frightening, they are not a state of emergency. The lack of media coverage is starving the famine stricken people of the attention they need to muster support to get aid to the area.
This is not simply a food shortage. This is a major crisis. Kelemen reports: “Humanitarian groups are increasingly worried about the looming budget cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. They argue that lives are at stake in places like the Horn of Africa, which is suffering its worst drought in decades.”
The United States may be going through tough economic times, but there is still aid being given out. This is shown by the billions given to Egypt and Tunisia to stabilize the countries after the revolutions that led to regime changes. Money seems to go where the publicity is. The revolutions of the Arab Spring were, and still are, widely publicized. If the famine would have received just part of the media attention, it would only make sense that more aid would be given because of the effect of media coverage.
While investing in stabilizing Egypt and Tunisia is a good investment, it is not guaranteed to produce successful results. Addressing the famine is an issue that can be a successful initiative, as Kelemen said, “We do know how to save lives during famines…We do know how to help farmer’s plant seeds, and we do know that we could really make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the coming months. The reality is we do not have the resources to be able to do what we should be able to do.”
This shows that we can directly help those affected by the famine. Instead of doing something that was a sure thing where it is needed most, we undertook a complex mission that may not even work because of the amount of media coverage.
A scary article posted on Halloween by Heinlein says, “At this time the situation in Somalia is going from bad to worst. Al-Shabab is creating a drought disaster, and we are about to open a fifth camp due to the influx which is coming from Somalia.”
The situation has not improved. The status quo is flawed. America let genocide in Rwanda pass by, and there were regrets later. If we do not raise awareness about the plight of Somalia and help to end it, we will be torn inside in the future.
If you want to make a difference, raise awareness and do not let the famine victims to be starved of attention as well as food. Once people know all of the details, they will feel compelled to send help where it is needed.
Michael Wilburn is a freshman majoring in political science with a minor in religious studies. He can be reached for comment at [email protected]
