Mr. Speaker. the )gaden region has been plagued with ighting between ethnic Somalis and Ethiopians since March 1978. Ethnic Somalis fleeing from the increased fighting are reported to be entering refugee camps in Somalia at a rate of 1.000 per day. Despite the attention presently focused on the Vietnamese. Cambodian. Afghani. and Cuban refugees. the crisis in the Ogaden has been called by a U.S. relief official as "the most serious refugee problem in the world." Most recent reports estimate that 670.000 refugees are crowded into 25 camps in Somalia. 90 percent of whose members are women and children. An additional 530.000 refugees from Somalia remain outside these camps. Starvation and disease is rampant in this region. Despite increased aid by Siad Barres government. economically strapped Somalia remains unable to supply needed food and medical supplies. The implementation of U.S.-. U.N.-. and Iraqisponsored emergency relief programs has been hindered by poor roads and a shortage of trucks. United States and world opinion must be focused on the "forgotten refugees" of the Ogaden. Thousands of lives and the political stability of this area which is of strategic importance are at stake. I am submitting the following article from the Washington Post for the benefit of my colleagues:
Keywords matched
refugee refugees