From CNN:

ARUSHA, Tanzania (AP) -- Tanzania is appealing for 100,000 metric tons of food aid for 3.7 million people suffering because of a drought, an official said Wednesday.

The appeal came two days after the U.N. refugee agency said an average of 100 people from neighboring Burundi flee to western Tanzania every day to escape a punishing drought that has left 2.2 million people in need of food aid in the small central African country.

Up to 7 million people in neighboring Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia also are affected by the drought, with the situation in Somalia particularly severe because of its ongoing lawlessness, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday.

"The crisis that we are witnessing cannot be expected to end until July," said Jacques de Maio, the Geneva-based ICRC's head of operations for the Horn of Africa. "The places where this is occurring would be a challenge to any government on Earth."

The United Nations says more than 11.5 million people will require food assistance in the next six months. In its latest report on Somalia, the United Nations said that 1.7 million people -- 710,000 of them experiencing an acute food shortage -- needed food assistance of some kind in addition to the 410,000 refugees who depend on food aid.

Food shortages in Tanzania has affected members of the cattle-herding communities and subsistence farmers in 11 central and northern regions of East Africa's largest nation.

The shortages were triggered by failure of long rains in October and short rains in December. Those affected need food aid until the rainy season begins in March-April, Minister of State for Regional Administration and Local Governments Mizengo Pinda said.

"The situation is extremely grave. It is going to be a crisis if we don't get the relief food in time," Pinda said.

The drought has forced Tanzania to step up power rationing to 12 hours every day, beginning Wednesday. (Read about Tanzania power problems)

Refugees strain resources
Food shortages and lack of security in Burundi's eastern Ruyigi Province has forced dozens of people to flee the region for western Tanzania, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

"A toddler died last week on arrival suffering from dehydration, and three young children died in January from acute respiratory infection," the agency said in a statement released Tuesday. "There are visible cases of malnutrition among the new arrivals."

About 3,500 Burundians have crossed the border since the start of the year, and the numbers keep growing at an average rate of 100 new arrivals a day, according to the statement.

On Monday, more than 500 newcomers were registered in way stations along the border, most of them at Nyakimonomono, where more than 2,500 people now live, the agency said.

"The living conditions in Nyakimonomono and other way stations are not good. Way stations are designed to receive people who have just crossed the border for a very short period of time only -- no more than a few days in most cases," according to the statement.

No rain, no authority
In Somalia, the impact of the drought has been particularly hard for residents of the country that has been without an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew the government and divided the country into rival, clan-based fiefdoms.

"The drought is making an already dire situation worse for the majority of people in southern Somalia," said Pascal Hundt, the ICRC Somalia delegation chief. "This country is facing, for the last 15 years, a violent and protracted conflict."

Up to 80 percent of cattle are expected to die in some areas in the south of the country, severely limiting people's food sources and purchasing power, as they will be unable to sell livestock to buy cereals, Hundt explained.

"This will depend a lot on the outcome of the next rainy season," he added.

The Red Cross said it would concentrate on distributing food to more than 102,000 people in southern Somalia. In Ethiopia, the agency plans to assist more than 300,000 people.



Tell you what, waive the trophy and license fees and I'll come over and shoot some elephants and Buffalos for your citizens. Just let me keep the ivory and horns!

quote:

Up to 80 percent of cattle are expected to die in some areas in the south of the country, severely limiting people's food sources and purchasing power, as they will be unable to sell livestock to buy cereals, Hundt explained.

Eat the cattle before they die? Perish the thought. Those cattle are for prestige and appearances not food.

LD

577 Nitro Express,
Let me know when you are leaving, I'll go to.
I will even furnish my own ammo.

I've got a deal for them. For free, I'll fly over to Tanzania with my .375 and .416 and a case of ammo, shoot all the buffalo and elephant they want, and I'll even donate the meat. Just send me an email and let me know when you want to pick me up in Arusha. 100 buffalo alone will make up a good portion of this 100000 metric tons.

That report is very close to the truth. The drought is starting to affect wild game and if the expected rains fail then there will be a huge die off of wild game in certain areas.

For example, in the Serengeti, the annual migration is all over the place. The wildebeest and zebra's will start dying off - fortunately there is enough of them.

Some of the drier hunting areas will suffer from extreme poaching situations as rural villagers strive to survive.

An event like this can set the whole countries' economy back several years..........

WE all need food.

The UN. Such hypocrites! Save them in the Sudan? Never. Tanzania? Sure, if they can get free food. emphasis on the free part. Like Zimbabwe.

Seems that there is always more people than food in some African country every year. Maybe the solution is fewer kids? Never! Always have a few more kids than you can feed.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Maybe the solution is fewer kids? Never! Always have a few more kids than you can feed.

That's a joke right? If you were in your mid-twenties (not saying you aren't ), had 1 or 2 kids a pretty wife (in your eyes with not much to do except sit under a tree all day long and some strange person came up to you and told you you must never have sex again so as to not have another kid. Would you?

These guys have nothing to do all day so why not f***k your wife

And with no access to condoms, no money for other birth control options the result is many kids. And think about it the baby survival rate for a lot of the rural areas is under 50%

let some of the scam safari operators that the Tanz gov't allows to opertate there cough up their over priced daily fees to feed the people.It would be to their advantage over the poaching that is going on.
Better yet feed them on those high trophy fees.

Much easier to scam the US tourists such as yourself in donating for the cause

they'll have a hard time pulling a scam on US citizens with the mess in the Gulf states presently....we're tapped out according to FEMA