Situation in six African countries still severe and deteriorating; efforts to aid drought-stricken nations continue.

Situation in six African countries still severe and deteriorating; Efforts to aid drought-stricken nations continue

Despite extensive efforts by African Governments and the international community to stem famine in Africa, the situation in six of Africa's most severely drought-stricken countries continued to deteriorate, according to Edouard Saouma, Director of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In assessing the food crisis in Africa at the eighty-seventh session of the FAO Council, held in Rome on 17 June, he said major national and international efforts were still needed to stem famine in Chad, Mali, Niger, Ethiopia, Sudan and Mozambique.

Other countries were also "in a precarious condition", he said, with Morocco "particularly exposed" among countries of northern Africa.

While praising "massive aid efforts" by developed and developing nations, Mr. Saouma stated that 5.7 million tons of food aid pledged still fell 1 million tons short of food needs in the 21 most severely affected countries. More than half of pledged food aid had yet to arrive at their final destinations.

Ethiopian relief effort: Maurice Strong, Executive Co-ordinator of the Office of Emergency Operations for Africa (OEOA) on 18 June reported on his recent trip to Ethiopia to examine measures to improve the delivery of relief supplies to and within Ethiopia. Meetings had been held with the Ethiopian Government, the Assistant Secretary-General for Emergency Operations in Ethiopia, Kurt Jansson, and donor community representatives.

Major concerns were transport shortages and how to best use available vehicles, while waiting for additional trucks. Ethiopia had been asked to make available at least another 400 trucks to increase internal delivery capacity, and it was reviewing whether that capacity could be increased through better scheduling, improved customs procedures, repair services and maintenance.

Improvements had been made in road and rail links both within Ethiopia and between countries of the region, and measures were being taken to establish sufficient storage capacity throughout the country.

The Government had outlined its policy of making refugee camps as temporary as possible to facilitate the return of people to their homes. Food assistance, seed and agricultural tools were being made available to returnees. Adequate supplies would also be made available to those who had to remain in the camps temporarily.

Regarding the need for medicine and survival articles such as tents and seeds, Mr. Strong noted that the "USA for Africa" organization was concentrating on those supplies and was effective in getting the public ear as well as access to its purse.

Mali situation: On 11 June, Mali President Moussa Traore, at a press conference at United Nations Headquarters, said that although drought had hit the Sudan and Ethiopia particularly hard in the last few years, the Sahelian region, including his own country, had been affected by drought and desertification since 1972.

Mali had set up a programme involving control of surface and ground water in order to bring about food self-sufficiency.