Thousands in Africa wait for aid amid catastrophic floods

[Jahness]

Thousands in Africa wait for aid amid catastrophic floods

by Vincent Mayanja

Hundreds of thousands of people awaited desperately needed relief supplies and faced the threat of epidemics on Friday as the death toll climbed in Africa's worst floods in three decades.

At least 300 have died in the flooding since heavy rains began sweeping across the continent two months ago, according to figures based on reports by hospital, government and humanitarian sources and compiled by AFP.

With nearly half of Africa's countries hit, the cost of the damage, expected to be huge, was only beginning to emerge.

In Rwanda, where at least 15 people died earlier this month in flash floods, two cholera cases were reported on Thursday in flood-hit districts, said Innocent Nyaruhirira, minister in charge of epidemics.

Cholera outbreaks have already caused 68 deaths in conflict-wracked Sudan, the country worst hit by the flooding.

The United Nations said up to 625,000 people could be in need of emergency aid in Sudan, Africa's largest country.

Neighbouring Uganda has also been heavily affected by the floods, with at least 400,000 people in need of assistance in eastern regions.

The European Union has decided to donate some two million euros (2.8 million dollars) to Togo, Ghana and Burkina Faso, EU officials said in the Togolese capital, Lome.

Besides paying for supplies, the money is also to be used to help prevent the spread of malaria.

But despite international mobilisation and donations, flooding of some crucial routes was paralysing the delivery of aid.

Ugandan Minister of State for Refugees and Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru said the floods had affected cross-border road traffic into southern Sudan.

Hundreds of trucks delivering supplies to southern Sudan had been advised to use a longer route through Kampala.

"The road network has been paralysed. The situation is traumatic," he said.

The UN's Children Fund said in a statement Thursday that "floods sweeping across northern and eastern Uganda have damaged hundreds of schools, leaving at least 100,000 children out of class."

The NGO ActionAid criticised the relief effort in Uganda, where close to 20 people have died since the floods began and a massive food shortage looms.

"There is still very slow response on the ground especially from government, though a lot has been promised since the floods in northern and eastern Uganda have now been declared a national disaster," it said in a statement.

The organisation warned that the crisis had caused the prices of fuel and basic food supplies to soar, preventing thousands from feeding their families.

West Africa was also badly hit, and Nigeria's Red Cross announced Thursday that the total death toll was 64.

It added that 22,000 people have been displaced in 10 northern states in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, as well as in the Lagos area, the huge economic capital in the southwest of the country.

The minister of social action and national solidarity in landlocked Burkina Faso, one of west Africa's poorest nations, said 33 people had been killed and nearly 7,500 homes had been destroyed.

Countries as far north as Algeria were also affected, amid warnings by governments and aid agencies that further rains would have catastrophic humanitarian and economic consequences.

In Algeria, officials on Thursday said the cost of damage caused on last Friday and Saturday alone was estimated at 21 million euros (30 million dollars).

The inaccessibility of many areas has made it difficult to assess the death toll.

World Food Programme

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070928...NQINj6nVZvaA8F

Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse.

[Kuumba]

This is an important story and it even trumps Hurricane Katrina. We don't put one over the other, but that should be more international outcry, fund relief and Pan-African aid, but it is not. That may be the case, because Africa is far removed from us and the fact that many unknowns are in the equation. However, were is the UN, AU and all dem?

Ready for the Revolution!

[Kuumba]

"there is no outcry."

[Jahness]

Originally Posted by Kuumba

This is an important story and it even trumps Hurricane Katrina. We don't put one over the other, but that should be more international outcry, fund relief and Pan-African aid, but it is not. That may be the case, because Africa is far removed from us and the fact that many unknowns are in the equation. However, were is the UN, AU and all dem?

Ready for the Revolution!

Greetings Kuumba!

You speak the truth warrior! Much appreciation to you for acknowledging the importance of this story. I agree there is not enough outcry. As a matter of fact you don't even hear about this on the news.

Afrikan lives of pain, suffering, disease, murder and injustice don't mean much to others, unless it mean a photo-op, or some type of reward, and even more sad to say it don't mean much to other Afrikans either.

The outcry for this disaster should be so loud, yet the silence is deafening. How can this be. What hope are we giving to future generations of Afrikan children to let them know that their lives, health and well being matters to their own people around the globe much less others. We need change, we need our leaders and Black orgs to step up to the plate, speak out, rally and gather the much needed help and support for our people.

Each one of us has to do our part to help our people. It is our duty.

Peace & Blessings