From large parts of Somalia, thousands of people have been flowing in to the capital Mogadishu every day, hoping to find food and water. On Wednesday the first aircraft of the UN World Food Programme landed in the Somali capital, with 14 tonnes of food on board.

Islamic fighters
It marks the start of an air bridge to the stricken area. In two regions of Somalia there is a famine caused by drought, high food prices and civil war. At Mogadishu airport the food is loaded onto trucks bound for the affected areas. That includes some areas under the control of Islamic militants from al-Shabaab, so it is not without risk.

Al-Shabaab, which has much of Somalia under its control, has rejected all offers of help so far. The organisation made it clear last week that some aid agencies and food shipments would not be allowed access to the areas it controls. Al-Shabaab alleges that UN agencies have a political agenda that has nothing to do with humanitarian aid.

Camps overflowing
Many tens of thousands of people have fled to Kenya, especially to the large camp in the town of Dadaab. Edith Boekraad of Dutch NGO Cordaid Mensen in Nood (People in Need) has just returned from visiting refugee camps in western Kenya where hundreds of people are arriving daily. Social workers can still provide them with decent conditions, but not for much longer.

The camps are jam-packed, says Ms Boekraad. "It's especially the mothers and children who arrive severely malnourished. They are immediately taken to hospital, where they are nursed and given extra food."

The aid agencies want not only to help the refugees in the camps, but also to try to reach nomads in the region. These people are dragging their livestock around in search of food. Because of the drought, there is no more grass, water holes have dried up and wells are almost empty. Many cattle are already dead. Cordaid has well-tested procedures for dealing with such a situation. Water tankers are brought in, and the people receive food and medical care.

Tourism
Ms Boekraad describes the Kenyan situation as a paradox. While the aid agencies and the UN World Food Programme are trying to get food to refugee camps in the north, the safari tourists are being pampered around their hotel swimming pool.

"It's a contradiction that you always find," says Ms Boekraad. "The government has never looked after them. They're considered non-productive. And so there has never been a policy to support the nomads."

(as/imm)