Security Issues, Rains Hampering Relief Efforts In Horn Of Africa

Security issues and torrential rains are hampering relief efforts aimed at fighting severe malnutrition and disease in the Horn of Africa, the Guardian reports. Last week, two workers with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were kidnapped, allegedly by the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, prompting the group to evacuate some of its staff from two of three refugee camps on the border of Somalia and Kenya, according to the newspaper.

"Meanwhile, recent heavy rains in Mogadishu have swept away makeshift camps around the capital" and killed at least three people, the Guardian writes. MSF and Save the Children have warned that measles, cholera and typhoid pose threats in Mogadishu and surrounding camps, according to the newspaper. In addition, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which raises money for its 14 nongovernmental organization members, said "there was still a shortage of funds to deal with the scale of the problems in the region," the Guardian notes (Emanuel, 10/17).