The 64 Thousand Dollar Question.

Considering all the fammine that is going on in places like Somalia why has there not been aid set there by Code Pink similar to the two failed ‘missions’ to the Gaza Strip. The anwer to that question is this. Real life threating personal risk. Consider the case below.

Residents of Mogadishu’s largest famine refugee camp accused government soldiers of starting the chaos by trying to steal some of the 290 tons of dry rations that aid workers were trying to distribute there. Then refugees joined in the scramble, prompting soldiers to open fire, the witnesses said.

“They fired on us as if we were their enemy,” said refugee Abidyo Geddi. “When people started to take the food then the gunfire started and everyone was being shot. We cannot stay here much longer. We don’t get much food and the rare food they bring causes death and torture.”

You see all that gunpower would just ruin thier stylish outfits and seriously reduce the odd of liveing longer. Plus it was not done by US, NATO or IDF troops so does it really matter.

Somali soldiers control just part of the capital and are poorly trained.

“It was carnage. They ruthlessly shot everyone,” said Abdi Awale Nor, who has been living at the camp. “Even dead bodies were left on the ground and other wounded bled to death.”

Oh and Code Pink continues to ignore how to deal with this problem that many aid groups face.

Aid workers are puzzling over how to help the starving without helping gunmen who either prey on the refugees, compete for security contracts to guard the food, or steal it and take a share of the profits when it’s sold at market.

Or how to protect the aid workers without contradicting themselves about the use of weapons for defence.

Since the era of Black Hawk Down, aid groups say they have tried to tighten up their procedures by screening contractors, having independent checks on their operations and requiring truckers to pay a cash bond to ensure the food is delivered. Some say that Somalia is still too volatile to work in: WFP alone has had 14 employees killed in the past three years. Most foreign aid workers pulled out two years ago after a spate of killings and kidnappings

So what is it going to be Code Pink? Another useless poltically motivated trip to Gaza or are you going to do something meaningful rather then just talk about it.

UPDATED: Here is a link to the list of groups that are activly working in that area right now. Guess who is not on the list.

Category: Antiwar crowd, Code Pink, I hate hippies