Muslim nations on Wednesday pledged to contribute $350 million to a fund to assist famine-hit Somalia, the head of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Co-operation said. The amount fell short of the $500 million the group was aiming for, said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, who heads the organisation formerly known as the Islamic Conference. But said he still hoped the figure would be reached with future pledges.
Participants in the organisation's emergency meeting to discuss assistance to the country also agreed to form a "food security mechanism" that would aim to prevent a similar crisis in the future, said the group's term chairman, Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Khazykhanov.
Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged rich nations in the West and in the Muslim world to come to Somalia's aid, saying they bore some responsibility for the crisis for ignoring the poverty in the country. In his opening speech, Erdogan said that Islam dictates "that you do not go to bed full if your neighbour is hungry."
"If we had fulfilled our responsibilities, would our brethren nation Somalia be in this situation?" he asked. In a swipe at Western nations, Erdogan said: "Of course we cannot expect those who have throughout history exploited the resources of Somalia and of Africa, to show sensitivity to the tragedy," he added.
More than 12 million people in the Horn of Africa need food aid, according to the United Nations. But the situation has become far more grave in Somalia because al Qaida-linked militants have banned many aid organisations from distributing food in the areas under their control. Members of al-Shabab have even killed people trying to flee southern Somalia, saying it is better to starve than accept help from the West.
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