Defining famine is complex since this phenomenon is elusive to define. Moreover, it has diverse causes that can overlap each other. Issues such as poverty, crop failure, environment, diseases, and economy, all have an influence on famine. For example hunger causes disease and disease will cause hunger by affecting the appetite.

Historically, in 20th century, there were a number of massive famines – in Soviet Union (under Stalin), India (Bengal Famine), China (Great Leap Forward). From 1970s Africa became famine-prone with huge famines in Uganda and Ethiopia in 1980s, and Sudan in 1980s and 1990s.

World Food Programme was formed in 1963; US President Eisenhower proposed to UN General Assembly "a workable scheme should be devised for providing food aid through the UN system."
1974 – World Food Conference – decided to eradicate hunger in 10 years. Not met.
1996 – The World Food Summit – where Rome Declaration was signed –
agreed to halve the number of undernourished people by 2015. No progress made (in WFP’s estimation). In 2006, WFP’s Executive Director proposed resisting famine through weather insurance.

No one can rebuff the fact that there is ongoing famine of untold proportion in Somalia. Bearing that in mind I would like to join into this sad and heart breaking debating arena, since our brothers and sisters are dying in the hundreds if not in thousands due to hunger, disease and malnourishment in Somalia. Oddly enough here in the West people are dying too.  Obesity related ailments such as diabetes among other ailments is killing hundreds if not thousands of people. This paradox reveals the shocking reality that we are facing in today’s world.

The other day in a local Somali coffee shop in London I strangely enough observed the Somali customers who were either leaving or entering this premise. 90% of them were clinically obese. This doesn’t mean they are rich or well off. The fact of the matter is that their obesity is linked to their poverty. One may wonder how? This is the explanation. Numerous studies show that the well - off  of  any given population eat healthy food which is expensive, whereas the poor consume food that is cheap, high in fats and calories. As the saying goes "you are what you eat". On the question of famine many scholars have argued that the current definitions and conceptualizations of famine have their limitations.  Some authors argue that many of the present ways of defining and theorising famine are trapped in a structure that regards famine as a failure to which scientific or technical solutions can be found.

Such an approach, with its use of theoretical considerations of cause as a starting point, leads to technologized responses that are not only incapable of responding sufficiently  to  the  politics of mass starvations  but are  themselves  implicated  in  that  politics. For that very reason we will need to ask ourselves what causes famine and what is the appropriate response if famine is to be avoided? Different countries took different approaches to eradicate famine. For instance India embarked on introducing democracy and free press. China eradicated hunger making sure that there was an effective provision of employment, increasing the health services, creating the distribution of food and increased the level of social security. Apart from that India undertook extensive agricultural research. If India and China who happen to be most populous nation on earth defied the Malthusian theory Africa can defy it too.

What is needed is  some sort of  paradigm shift, where the  important question  is not  ‘What causes famine  and  what  is  the  appropriate  response  if famine  is  to  be  avoided?’  but ‘How were  acts  of mass starvation committed and by whom, and how can  those responsible be brought to justice?’  Given that mass starvation is seen as a crime against humanity. The language of genocide (perpetrators, victims, and bystanders) replaces that of famine (causes, victims, relief) and the issue becomes not what response there should be to famine, but where responsibility lies for producing it in the first place. I will expand this issue later on.

Form theoretical point of view in the Malthusian or neo-Malthusian view, famine is a question of the excess of population over the means of subsistence.  It is an instance where population growth has outstripped food production.  Massive starvation almost inevitably follows until the balance is restored.  For  others, famine  is  seen  as  a  natural  disaster  that  occurs when  a  failure  of  food  production,  through drought for example, leads to conditions of scarcity . The land can no longer support the population that relies upon it.

However, this view of famine as caused by a shortage of food was challenged by Amartya Sen. Sen argued that a decline in what he called ‘food availability’ was not necessary for a famine to occur.  The  total  food supply per head  in any area  did not matter; what was  important was whether  particular  individuals  or households  had  right of entry  to  enough  food.  In the famous opening words of Poverty and Famines, Sen argues:  ‘Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of there not being not enough food to eat’ (Sen 1981: 1). Starvation according to Sen was not  about  food  as  a  commodity ,  but  about  the relationship of people  to that commodity . This was an  important  insight,  as  far  as  it  went,  and  it brought  academic  theorising  of  famine  back  into the  realm  of  social  science,  though  as  Amrita Rangasami  (1985)  was  later  to  argue,  it  was  an insight that was already incorporated in practice, in the Famine Codes of India, for example.
Sen’s work, with its shift away from an emphasis on quantities of food to questions of entitlements, was an important move in three respects.  First,  it stressed  the  need  to  examine  each  famine  in  its own  particularity .  Sen claimed to present not a general theory of famine but a framework in which individual famines could be analysed.  Second,  it involved  a move  from  the  examination  of overall ‘populations’ in the Malthusian mode to the study of  specific  ‘persons’  or  households.  Finally, and most importantly, it focused attention on relationships. In order to understand starvation it is necessary  to  look  at  the  structure  of  ownership relations  and  other  forms  of  entitlement  relations within any particular society .

Famine processes

In Somalia when the few aid originations that were operating in the country sounded their alarm two years in advance their pleas fell on deaf ears. Finally, when the response came it was too little too late. For that very reason I would like to highlight the processes or phases of famine in the months and years leading to a crisis;

When the situation got to nr 3 and 4 the world started paying attention by that time many children and the elderly had already perished.

Leaving theories aside and back to reality in Somalia, we all know that the International Community most notably the United States used food as weapon in areas controlled by Al-shabab. The United States of America stopped its donation to the WFP at time when food supplies were dwindling. American diplomats argued that they didn’t want to feed the enemy.  Ironically, nowadays we tend to hear from time to time how complicated it is or how impossible it is for aid organizations to distribute food in famine hit areas controlled by Alshabab. The solution is again technological in defiance to Malthus. Malthus got busted again.

 If United States of America is capable of using drones costing one million dollars each to bomb terrorists those same aerial tactics could be applied in airlifting food like it was the case in Southern Sudan. Furthermore, if trillions of dollars could be used to wage wars in poor countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq United States can afford to over-flood Somalia with food, but the problem is that there is no will to do so, since giving food aid will be against the containment policy the West has waged on Somalia. Somalis are known to be resilient and we shall survive God willing. Instead of bombs and sophisticated laser guided missiles Somalia should be bombed with food beyond recognition. This doesn’t mean that terrorism should be tolerated.

Environmentally induced famine

The large scale deforestation that has taken root in Somalia in the last twenty plus years has also contributed to the kind of famine Somalia is facing. There have been numerous reports of ships loaded with charcoal burning in Somalia. Some Middle- Eastern countries particularly the United Arab Emirates should be held accountable for buying the Somali charcoal. This country has taken advantage of the lawlessness in Somalia. It has been also reported by countless local media in Somalia that the charcoal traders cut mango trees when they have run out of trees. The International Community has turned a blind eye and failed to prevent this illegal trade.

The Famine in Somalia who is responsible?

Alshabab has its share of blame too. Alshabab prevented food aid delivery in Somalia; they too should be tried and punished for their crimes. Moreover, in the areas under its control peasants lost their produce through loss of price controls, stealing and at times destruction of crops. Moreover, many youths and male farmers as well as herders got conscripted into its ranks. As a result food production fell drastically.

Other illicit tactics that had major effects on food production was forced migration. Later on Alshabab applied control by preventing people into seeking food aid in the capital Mogadishu or into Kenya and Ethiopian refugee camps. This is similar to Push and Pull theories on migration.

The International Community Dimension

Likewise, the International Community was responsible for inception of Alshabab. When the Union of Islamic Courts came to power in 2006 it was the International Community that gave Ethiopia our arch enemy the green light to occupy Somalia. The West intention was to prevent any democratically elected Islamists, like it was the case in Algeria with FIS and Hamas in Palestine. However, things seem gloom for the west in Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia Islamists are on the rise. Although the West is trying very hard to manipulate and is doing its dirty work here and there in stealth damage control mode, the reality is that the battle is lost by the West. Mogadishu is the only place on earth where tanks and artillery are used indiscriminately in civilian populated areas, those responsible for these inhumane acts will be brought to justice when the time is ripe.

The next group that should be brought to justice is the so called business people (Ganacsato or Bakhaarey). I shouldn’t blame all business people. Some of them are honest and hard working; however, there are crooks amongst them, these crooks are locally known in Somali as (Xaaran ku naax) which literally means those who get fat on illegal activities. There has been ample evidence that suggest food and other relief aid turns up at local markets. Occasionally the food aid heads straight into privately owned ware-houses from the Mogadishu port.

Conclusion

The Somali famine was caused by many factors such as politics, drought, deforestation and corruption.  Finally,  the West should give aid  out of  altruism rather than for political reasons. Somalis in the Diaspora who have raised thousands of Dollars and who are still supporting the victims of this man made famine deserve respect and recognition. 

Ahmed Hirsi
Email: Ahmed.hirsi@yahoo.com

--------------------
Ahmed Hirsi works in Central London for a major Financial Institution

------

Reference

• Hammond L. and Maxwell D. (2002) “The Ethiopian Crisis of 1999-2000: Lessons Learned, Questions Unanswered” in Diseases, Vol. 26, No. 3
• Sen A. (1981) Poverty and Famines, an essay on entitlement and deprivation, Clarendon Press, Oxford
• Z, Marriage  University of London ( 2010) Lecture notes

_________________________________________________________

We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com
WardheerNews will only consider articles sent exclusively. Please email your article today Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of WardheerNews.

WardheerNew’s tolerance platform is engaging with diversity of opinion, political ideology and self-expression. Tolerance is a necessary ingredient for creativity and civility.Tolerance fuels tenacity and audacity.

WardheerNews waxay tixgelin gaara siinaysaa maqaaladaha sida gaarka ah loogu soo diro ee aan lagu daabicin goobo kale. Maqaalkani wuxuu ka turjumayaa aragtida Qoraaga loomana fasiran karo tan WardheerNews.

Copyright © 2011 WardheerNews.com