International aid agency Oxfam on Friday called for sustained aid efforts in Somalia, after the United Nations (UN) declared an end to famine conditions in the Horn of Africa nation.The head of Oxfam in Somalia, Senait Gebregzhiabher, said Somalia is still in the throes of its worst humanitarian crisis in decades, warning against being complacent about current gains. “Insecurity is already disrupting the supply of aid to tens of thousands of people at a critical time in the crisis. The gains made so far could be reversed if the conflict worsens, if access becomes more difficult than it already is, or if there is a reduction in aid from the international community,” Gebregzhiabher said in Nairobi.Her remarks came after the UN declared an end to famine conditions in Somalia on Friday, citing “long-awaited rains coupled with substantial agricultural inputs and the humanitarian response deployed in the last six months.” But the UN also warned that, with recurrent droughts in the Horn of Africa, hunger remains a threat unless long-term measures are taken to restore food security. “We must not be complacent. The world shouldn’t turn its back on Somalia, solely because statistics say there is no longer a famine,” Gebregzhiabher stressed. “We are seriously concerned that if people do not have the security to tend their crops and animals, or the freedom to access clean water and food in the markets, the humanitarian situation will deteriorate once again,” Gebregzhiabher said.East Africa, including Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, has experienced a crippling drought over the past two years, but that drought turned into famine only in Somalia mid-last year. Aid groups reduced access to some areas because of limitations placed on them by Al-Shabaab militias.
