Somalia Famine: African Leaders Pledge $380 Million In Aid

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Associated Press) -- African leaders have pledged nearly $380 million to help famine-hit families in the Horn of Africa.

During a donor conference held Thursday at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia's capital, the African Development Bank in a statement announced a donation of $300 million for long-term development in the Horn of Africa, to be spent by 2013. Nations also pledged $28.8 million in food donations.

African leaders promised to donate $51 million, the most generous donors being Algeria with $10 million, Egypt with $6 million, and Angola with $5 million.

African leaders had been criticized for not doing enough to help those affected by the famine. The U.N. says 12.4 million people need food aid and tens of thousands have died. Aid groups had said they wanted at least $50 million from Thursday's conference.

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Comments

[Marisa Stein]

04:16 PM on 08/26/2011

good cause seriously..they aren't getting a dime from me.

[Aleks Hunter]

07:04 PM on 08/26/2011

What is the difference between sitting back and watching as a child starves and killing that child outright with a a gun or a bomb, other than the fact that in starvation the child suffers longer?

[onnozol]

01:42 AM on 08/27/2011

She doesn't have to be pestered by us reminding her that she is a narcissistic cretin whilst the child slowly starves to death.

[onnozol]

02:07 AM on 08/27/2011

Of course not. Why would we expect you to stray from your repugnant existence? That would reveal the reality that you are woefully inferior.

[Marisa Stein]

10:38 AM on 08/29/2011

did you not read the article? it's right there in black and white that they pirates are going to steal the food anyway so bother.

[Fonsini]

12:34 PM on 08/26/2011

Without social order this is pointless. The aid will be stolen and sold on the black market, or hoarded by the warlords for their own men. We have seen it happen time and time again.

This is just conscience money, something that makes politicians look like generous benefactors, and makes people feel better about themselves. In reality it does nothing to solve the real problems.

I remember giving money to Live Aid when I was a kid in the 80s, and the nations we gave that aid to 30 years ago are still starving and in need of more. The problem is social and economic development, not rice, and until they stop killing each other (and us) there's little we can do.

[canoeal]

10:33 AM on 08/26/2011

I wonder how much of the "aid" will end up in the hands of Somali prirates???

[PuertoRicanprincess]

08:18 AM on 08/26/2011

A message to the United States AIR FORCE, PLEASE END THEIR SUFFERING, SORRY HAD TO SAID IT.

[Aleks Hunter]

07:05 PM on 08/26/2011

You had better be talking Berlin Airlift type action.

[truegroundspeed]

07:40 AM on 08/26/2011

African leaders pledge $380 million....... courtesy of US taxpayers.

[DR STANLEY]

10:23 AM on 08/26/2011

oh ya and US taxpayers money is being used in tripoli, bahrain, egypt etc. go complain to your local shrink you schmuck

[breakingpoint]

05:14 AM on 08/26/2011

lot of gold in Africa - and gold is about $1780oz
take it back - you'd be the wealthiest continent on earth

[Nightangle]

02:26 AM on 08/26/2011

To African Americans: here is a cause you should be interested with. ROOTS MATTER.

[DR STANLEY]

10:24 AM on 08/26/2011

scrap the african, they are american despite their colour. what's the difference between al sharpton and bill o'reilly? nothing, well aside from being able to blend in better they're both AMERICAN

[Help USA Taxpayer]

01:58 AM on 08/26/2011

take the money being used to bomb Libya and use it for ... oh they have no Petro Oil then President Obama doesn't care

[Frenchie08]

02:19 AM on 08/26/2011

Do you care?

[Help USA Taxpayer]

02:43 AM on 08/26/2011

I am sad when people are huddled into refugee camps and are starving - they deserve a chance to smile again, so yes I care

[Coasterr]

04:04 AM on 08/26/2011

bombing Libya is necessary to help the civilians there, they deserve as much happiness as Somalians

[Rita Khanna]

06:49 AM on 08/26/2011

Yep they really love and treasure the NATO bombs. The phallic quality is amazing....

[vinny]

07:06 AM on 08/26/2011

media slave.

we could have supported a peaceful transition to democratic elections

you and your kind pushed the country into a bloody civil war

[bumper870]

01:25 AM on 08/26/2011

Great doing the right thing. Africa taking care of Africa.
It is about time
We in The USA need to take care of our own.
People here are doing with out.

[MaryfromIL]

12:42 AM on 08/26/2011

Debt has crippled many developing countries.

The causes of debt are a result of many factors, including:

• The legacy of colonialism — the developing countries’ debt is partly the result of the unjust transfer to them of the debts of the colonizing states, in billions of dollars, at very high interest rates.
• Odious debt, whereby unjust debt is incurred as rich countries loaned dictators or other corrupt leaders when it was known that the money would be wasted.

South Africa shortly after freedom from Apartheid had to pay debts incurred by the apartheid regime. In effect, South Africans are paying for their own oppression. Many of the dictators were put in power by the West for our interests.

Total debt continues to rise, despite ever-increasing payments, while aid is falling. For example:

* The developing world now spends $13 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants.
* For the poorest countries (approximately 60), $550 billion has been paid in both principal & interest over the last three decades, on $540 billion of loans, and yet there is still a $523 billion dollar debt burden.

Debt kills. Some 11 million children die each year around the world, due to conditions of poverty & debt.
http://www.globalissues.org/issue/28/third-world-debt-undermines-development

[Nightangle]

02:28 AM on 08/26/2011

America is a model for borrowing and spending on war expansion.

[EIZEL]

09:13 AM on 08/26/2011

All these ills that you describe are due to the world being dependent on an iniquitous system of lending money to make profit, to make more money, and so enslave us! Borrow first..., and never stop repaying!!! Now, let me explain. If you borrow 1000 dollars to buy a house, and because of interest, you repay 2500. How much is your house worth then? 2500? Wrong! Your house is still worth 1000 dollars, cos if you say it is worth 2500 (because that is what you really paid for it to the bank), then if you want to buy that house again and borrow 2500, then you;ll repay 6000, because of interest. Now, These money is artificial money, created out of the thin air by the bankers, but with your agreement! And anyone biting into this poisonous pie suffers. Quran, the "bible" of the Muslims, states that lending money for profit (called "riba") is one of the greatest sins, and anyone who is only a witness to such iniquitous agreement forefeits all credit for all the good one has done in life, and will not enter the Paradise. Colonialism, apartheid, slavery, and all other ills are just different facets of the iniquitous system. Want to be free? Do not be part of it!

[MaryfromIL]

01:40 PM on 08/26/2011

Unfortunately, many were stuck with the debt left by their colonial masters.

[MaryfromIL]

12:36 AM on 08/26/2011

The US isn't collapsing because of foreign aid, much of which goes to preserve our own safety. It's less than 1% of our budget, $92 a year per American, a much smaller percent of our national income that other developed countries give.

# Less than half of aid from the United States goes to the poorest countries, less than $46 per year per American.

# The largest recipients are strategic allies such as Egypt, Israel, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

# Israel is the richest country to receive U.S. assistance ($77 per Israeli compared to $3 per person in poor countries)

http://masbury.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/what-percent-of-us-budget-goes-to-foreign-aid/

[Nightangle]

02:38 AM on 08/26/2011

I do not agree with your politics. On this issue however, I give you a badge.

[MaryfromIL]

01:48 PM on 08/26/2011

Thanks for the badge! I checked where our politics differed, per your comments, we aren't super far apart. If there were a decent progressive candidate besides Obama in the primary, I would vote for him. But if not, I will vote for Obama for a very important reason: SCOTUS. That will determine the next 25 to 30 years of court decisions, and right now, they have huge power.

Also differ on unions. Not because they don't have all those foibles. But because there is no way to compete with countries paying $2 a day, there never has been.

[Moksha von Mew Mew]

11:54 PM on 08/25/2011

lets see, this is how the money will be spent... $379 million to bribe government officials to stay away from relief efforts and $1 million for actual aid.. ....this is what we can expect from african leaders

[Mr Crabs]

11:49 PM on 08/25/2011

Hmm so will these countries also help to oust the leaders who created this situation in the first place? Or will they just redirect their foreign aid Somalia's way, of course taking a share off the top as is customary.

[Joshua Grisenthwaite]

02:03 AM on 08/26/2011

What leaders should be ousted? Somalia has no acting government, and hasn't for 20 years. If anyone is going to obstruct aid efforts, it's local militias who need the food and money as leverage against the populations under their yoke. But remember, the Libertarian Mises institute says it's a Libertarian paradise!

[Mr Crabs]

03:47 AM on 08/26/2011

There may be no government but there sure are leaders there, and it seems in the middle east ultrafundamentalist theocracies are not only tolerated but underhandedly promoted.

[bigmovieman]

11:26 PM on 08/25/2011

Someone should also pledge adequate sex education and birth control to these people while they are at it...

[MaryfromIL]

12:29 AM on 08/26/2011

the GOP is actually trying to withdraw it. See Global Gag Rule

[bealebkk]

10:40 PM on 08/25/2011

To pledge is one thing, to deliver is quite another...!