Situation in Africa continues to deteriorate, says OEOA report.

Situation in Africa continues to deteriorate, says OEOA report

Despite extensive efforts by African Governments and the international community, the situation in the continent's most severely drought-stricken countries--particularly in the northern hemisphere--continued to deteriorate, according to the latest status report on the emergency situation in Africa and its accompanying supplement released on 4 June by the Office for Emergency Operations in Africa (OEOA).

The number of those in need of food aid in the most critical countries was rising, according to the report. A serious shortfall in essential non-food survival items was taking its toll among groups weakened by hunger. In southern, central and eastern Africa, the early stages of the current rainy season had been, with a few exceptions, very promising. Initially, however, the rains were compounding the problem by inhibiting distribution of relief supplies and contributing to greater incidence of disease and mortality.

In the Sudan, the report said, the number of drought victims was expected to rise dramatically to about 11.5 million during the second half of the year. In Botswana, 80 per cent of the population was in need of assistance. Only about half of the drought victims in Chad and Ethiopia were actually being reached by food shipments. In Mali, large numbers were migrating towards the south and the cities.

The report provided a breakdown, in selected cases, of food shipments and of specific donor pledges, which had comprised what was the most massive peacetime international relief effort ever. Weaknesses in infrastructure and logistics at the national levels hampering swift delivery of food and other urgently needed relief items were described.

A continued improvement in rainfall patterns, the report warned, was crucial to recovery. But even if the rains were excellent, a host of other factors--such as shortge of seeds and agricultural implements and soils exhausted by drought and overuse--would ensure that a major food-aid operation would continue to be necessary in 1986. Although food aid requirements for the next few months had generally been met by the donor community, the emergency needs of refugees continued to be acute.