Greetings,

   Pass this Appeal for Hamanitarian Assistance Along.  Thanks.

                                             Jamila

__________________________________________________________________

--- "Zerzghi, Amanuel (Amanuel)" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> From: "Zerzghi, Amanuel (Amanuel)" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: "'Jamila Allston'" <[log in to unmask]>

> Subject: URGENT HUMANITARIAN ASSISSTANCE NEEDED FOR ERITREA
> Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 12:02:23 -0400
>
> URGENT HUMANITARIAN ASSISSTANCE NEEDED FOR ERITREA
>
> Half the population of Eritrea is in need of Humanitarian assistance.
> Refugees International, recently visited a "site near the village of
> Add
> Keshi where 200 women gave birth while on the road." Hundreds more
> are
> pregnant and will need postnatal care.
>
> For Immediate Release                                    July 11,
> 2000
>
> Following the 12 May 2000 Ethiopian offensive, the humanitarian
> crises in
> Eritrea have worsened significantly. According to an assessment by
> the
> United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
> (OCHA),
> the number of people affected have now reached 1.5 million, which
> amounts
> to about half the Eritrean population. Eritrea, a nation proud of its
> self-reliance, is being forced to rely on relief food because a large
> number of its displaced civilians are farmers from a region
> considered
> Eritrea's "breadbasket." Ethiopia currently occupies parts of this
> region,
> which produces about 60 to 80 per cent of the country's agricultural
> output. This occupation is preventing the uprooted farmers from
> coming
> back to their towns. Ethiopia, reportedly, will not end its illegal
> occupation until UN peacekeepers are deployed in a 25-km buffer zone
> inside Eritrea. Some Eritrean refugees have already told UNHCR they
> will
> not return to their home until after the Ethiopian forces have
> withdrawn
> from their towns. Nevertheless, with the passing of the June-July
> rainy
> season there will be no harvest for most of the displaced farmers.
> Consequently, Eritrea will be dependent on international food aid
> this
> year and well into next year.
>
> Donor response to emergency appeals issued by the Eritrean Relief and
> Refugee Commission (ERREC) has so far been very poor. The plight of
> many
> Eritreans will continue to deteriorate seriously without immediate
> humanitarian assistance. Eritrea's humanitarian crisis requires
> short-term
> emergency as well as long-term programs to alleviate shortages in
> food
> supply, health care, shelter, and water. Unfortunately, neither the
> short-term nor the long-term programs are currently in place to
> support
> Eritreans in need. On 5 July 2000, the UNHCR said that only one third
> of
> Eritrea's displaced population had been provided with adequate
> shelter.
> Worst still, FY 2001 USAID budget currently has no Food Aid to
> Eritrea.
>
> Following a recent visit to Eritrea, Hugh Parmer, the USAID Assistant
> Administrator for Humanitarian Response said, " the government of
> Eritrea
> is doing an excellent job of managing the needs of  [its] displaced
> countrymen."  Eritrea has a very good record in mobilizing its
> resources
> to support its citizens in need. NGOs trying to deliver humanitarian
> aid
> in Eritrea will receive cooperation by the government. But, the donor
> community must respond generously to Eritrean appeals for emergency
> aid.
> Eritreans deserve as much attention as the civilian victims of war in
> Kosovo. The Eritrean American Network for Peace-DC urges the donor
> community to respond to Eritrean needs by committing funds to ERREC,
> the
> UNHCR, and other NGOs that are currently operating in Eritrea.
>
> The Eritrean American Action Network for Peace, 600 L. Street, NW,
> Washington, D.C. 20001 Phone: 202-393-8467; Fax: 202-393-8469
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get Yahoo! Mail – Free email you can access from anywhere!
http://mail.yahoo.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------