Bono, K'naan talk 'monstrous' famine with US Somalis

[Jacpher]

WASHINGTON — Musicians Bono and Somali-born K'naan met with members of Minneapolis' Somali community over the weekend "to sound the alarm bell," over the growing famine in the Horn of Africa that, according to the UN, threatens 11.6 million people.

"The crisis in the Horn is going to be solved by Somalis taking control, taking charge. I'm here, and ONE is here, to listen and learn and to serve their efforts," said U2 lead singer Bono, whose global anti-poverty group, ONE, hosted the meeting in Minneapolis.

Along with its sister city, St. Paul, Minnesota, Minneapolis hosts the largest concentration of Somalis in the United States.

Last week the United Nations declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia, where severe drought, compounded with rising fuel and food costs and decades of conflict, have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

In neighboring Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp, more than 380,000 people are living in facilities originally built to house 90,000.

"What we are seeing right now in the Horn of Africa is devastating. Crops are failing. Families have lost their livelihoods as their livestock perished. And worst of all they have lost their loved ones. Every day, lives are needlessly lost," said Mohammed Idris, executive director of the American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa, who joined the Saturday meeting.

In a statement, Bono's ONE campaign called on global leaders to "take immediate action" in addressing a $1 billion funding gap for efforts to address the crisis, and added that leaders should invest in "smart, effective agricultural policies" that will "empower African farmers."

After the meeting, Bono and K'naan sang a duet of "Stand by Me," in what they described as a show of solidarity with Somalis.

[Valenteenah.]

There certainly aren't a shortage of organisations or money but the problem is will this reach the people who need it? How can countries donate millions each and very little trickles to the ground?