03 Sep 2009
A renowned aid agency has drawn attention to the deplorable condition of refugee camps in Somalia, decrying the living standards as "barely fit for humans."

Oxfam, a confederation of more than 13 aid organizations worldwide, on Thursday slammed the swamped and badly managed camps in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, which shelter hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the deadly civil war gripping the country.

The agency said that the international community had failed Somalia, which has been struggling to rebuild itself with the formation of a new government, by not doing enough to end the war.

It added that the suffering and mass exodus of Somalis to neighboring countries has come at a time when Somalia is also struggling with hits worst drought in a decade.

"Somalis flee one of the world's most brutal conflicts and a desperate drought, only to end up in unimaginable conditions in camps that are barely fit for humans," Robbert Van den Berg, a spokesman for Oxfam International in the Horn of Africa, was quoted by CCN.

One example of overcrowded camps is the Dadaab camp in northeastern Kenya. Originally meant to hold 90,000 refugees, it now has a population of 300,000 people that rises by some 8,000 new arrivals each month.

Oxfam has called on the Kenyan government to allocate more land, adding that the war has displaced some 1.4 million people and prompted 500,000 more to flee to nearby countries.

Somalia had lacked a functioning government since warlords overthrew Mohamed Siad Barre. The new government of President Sharif Ahmed, elected in January, has been fighting a heavy battle with rebels, especially in the capital of Mogadishu.

The clashes have left scores of people dead this month alone, prompting a call by the Arab League on Thursday for troops from Arab countries to assist the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.


presstv