PRESS BRIEFING BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

PRESS BRIEFING BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

If the worst scenario happens, a huge humanitarian crisis may break out in Ethiopia and Eritrea, as both countries have suffered serious droughts and a complete crop failure, according to Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Kenzo Oshima, who has just returned from a mission to both countries, and to the Sudan.

Mr. Oshima told a Headquarters press briefing today that in the Sudan, he delivered orally a message from the Secretary-General to senior officials involved in the peace process between the Sudanese Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.  He said the signing of a memorandum of understanding was being awaited in the Sudan, as the peace process being mediated by the Kenyan President proceeded.

Mr. Oshima, who was accompanied on his mission to Eritrea and Ethiopia by senior representatives of the World Food Programme, the European Commission and the United States Agency for International Development, said he was unhappy "to report that once again these countries are struck by serious drought.  The humanitarian needs this year are already enormous."  He said that although the problems could lessen next year, if the worst case scenario prevailed, "we may be having a humanitarian crisis, which will be similar to the scale of the disaster we are witnessing right now in southern Africa, where some 14 million people are affected."

He said that unless the international community came in and did something about helping the people in need, there could be a major crisis again in that part of the world.

Mr. Oshima said that in both countries he met senior officials, including the President and Prime Minister.  He also undertook a field mission to see the reality in rural areas, where erratic rainfall had caused a situation of “almost complete crop failure” even in regions known traditionally as most productive in both Eritrea and Ethiopia.  He said maize, sorghum and other crops are either wilted or stunted, “bearing no fruit, no crop, no grain; they are almost lost.”

He said that although the ground appeared green from the air, a closer examination showed what he called “green drought”.  The ground looked like green or light green, he said, but there was no crop.

He said an appeal to the international donor community would be launched in Eritrea in November.  Already, on 7 October, the United Nations mission, together with the Government of Ethiopia, launched an appeal seeking      273,000 metric tonnes of food to meet the immediate needs of some 6 million Ethiopians until the end of the year.

Next year, he said, would be worse.  The better scenario, he said, may involve 6 million people in need of assistance.  More realistically, it had to be anticipated that there may be about 10 million people in need.  In the worst case, as many as 14 million might be affected.  The magnitude of the financial and logistical response need to meet those combined emergencies would present an enormous challenge in the coming months in Africa.

Those figures, he said, were based on crop estimates.  Better estimates would be available once the harvest was completed, by November, in both countries.

On the Sudan, Mr. Oshima said he conveyed the message of the Secretary-General expressing the hope that the parties to the peace talks would resume their talks urging them to agree to cessation of hostilities.  The Secretary-General also expressed the hope that they may be able to build on the progress that had already been achieved.

He said the parties to the Sudanese conflict were meeting in Machakos with a view to signing a memorandum of understanding formalizing the peace talks, resumption of talks and a cessation of hostilities.  If that were agreed, he said, a new chapter would be opened in the Sudan for humanitarian assistance.  “It is certainly big news,” he said, “if we are able to reach without hindrance people who are in need of assistance in that country.”

He added that during his mission to Sudan, the Government had imposed a flight ban that hampered delivery of assistance to the population in need in the southern sector.  The ban, meant to last for nine days, was estimated to prevent at least 500,000 people from receiving assistance.  However, Mr. Oshima said, on his mission's intervention, the Sudanese Government reviewed the situation and agreed to lift the ban.

Some of the population may now be reached, but the humanitarian workers still faced other restrictions and problems.

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