Page 10 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1980
Somalia has more
refugees than Asia
United Press International
WASHINGTON — There are
nearly four times as many refugees in
Somalia in Africa as in Cambodia and
Thailand.
The plight of the “Boat People” of
United Press International
FORT CHAFFEE, Ark. — The
Immigration and Naturalization Ser
vice Tuesday began interviewing the
thousands of Cuban refugees at this
western Arkansas military post but
officials said it would be at least
another week before any of them
could be released to sponsors.
Lt. Col. A.T. Brainerd said 5,593
refugees had arrived at Fort Chaffee
as of midnight Monday and said he
expected that number to grow to
8,000 by Tuesday midnight. Up to
20,000 refugees eventually are ex
pected at the post at one time. The
total number of refugees to go
through the post could surpass that
figure.
The processing procedures have
been streamlined, reducing the pro
cess from four hours to 50 minutes
per person.
Vietnam and of Afghans fleeing
Soviet invasion has held the head
lines, but in terms of sheer numbers,
fighting in the Horn of Africa be
tween Somali guerrillas and Ethio
pian forces has produced the “major
refugee problem,” according to the
“We have absolutely no backlog at
all,” Brainerd said.
Officials said 452 refugees had
been treated at two clinics with ab
out 20 being admitted for treatment
of various ailments. No serious
health problems have been re
ported.
A minor security problem was re
ported Monday. Two refugees
walked across a street from their
roped-off barracks to the PX and
bought soft drinks before being hus
tled back.
“It’s a difficult task to keep your
eye on every one of them,” Brainerd
said.
There are 1,500 military person
nel at the post and 415 of the 450
civilian jobs have been filled but offi
cials said civilian employment could
increase.
Spokesmen for four volunteer
United Nations High Commission
for Refugees.
The Horn of Africa, couiprised of
Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti in
northeast Africa, draw s its name
from its distinctive shape, resemb
ling the horn of a rhinooef 05 -
groups helping in the resettlement
program — Church Worlcl Services,
U.S. Catholic Conference, Red
Cross and Southern Baptist Conven
tion — said they were optimistic a
sufficient number of sponsors could
be found for the refugees-
David Lewis of the Catholic Con
ference said 60 percent of the re
fugees had family or friends in this
country.
“The key to successful resettle
ment is jobs,” Lewis said, adding
that one reason the 1975 Vietnamese
program was successful was the
generosity of area residents-
Chaffee officials said training of
Oklahoma and Arkansas National
Guard and Army reserve ufnts would
continue through the summer as
planned. The only change iS they will
have to stay in tents instead of bar
racks.
Africa’s refugees today number an
estimated 2.5 million, of a world total
of 9 million, according to U.N. fi
gures. The Organization of African
Unity however, estimates there are 4
million refugees in Africa.
The U.N. commission estimates
the number of Southeast Asian re
fugees at 400,000 in camps, plus an
unknown number on the Thailand-
Vietnam border.
Today one of five Somalis is a re
fugee, and while the flow of refugees
is expected to slow, U.N. officials say
they have no idea how many more
may be expected.
The Sudan, which has declared
1980, “Year of the Refugee, ” houses
an additional 400,000 Ethiopian re
fugees.
Despite being “serious in terms of
numbers,” says Stan Siegel, Co
ordinator for African Refugee and
Humanitarian Affairs of the Agency
for International Development,
“The willingness of African nations to
take in their own (has) taken the
urgency out” of relief efforts.
“You don’t have the utter starva
tion, the desperateness’’ that is the
case with the boat people, he said.
As many as 1,000 refugees enter
Somalia daily. The number of re
fugees has jumped from 88,000 in
mid-1978 to 1 million to 1.5 million
today. Only 500,000 of the refugees
find shelter in the 21 permanent and
five transit camps. Another 700,000
live outside the camps.
Women and children make up 90
percent of the camp populations.
The men remain in Ethiopia or are in
guerrilla groups fighting Ethiopian
forces.
“There is no electricity in any of
the 21 camps, no refrigeration, no
innoculations, no latrines and uncon
taminated water,” reported Rep.
Andrew Maguire, D-N.J., on a re
cent visit to the region.
Both United States and United
Nations authorities expect the camp
figure to climb to 650,000.
Somali refugee program costs to
the U.N. have increased from $3.5
million in 1979 to $40 million in
1980, a twelve-fold increase in one
year. Somalia will receive the largest
share of the commission’s $120 mil
lion to $150 million 1980 Africa
budget.
Agencies such as Oxfam and the
International Red Cross have re
sponded to a Somalia plea for $70
million in additional aid. Medical
and construction teams from
Sweden, France and the United
States and supplies will be sent to
meet the growing crisis, U.N. repre
sentatives said.
The United States’ has sent five
shipments of medical and non-food
items such as kitchen utensils, clo
thing, blankets and bolts of cloth
since January. Food aid totaling
47,000 metric tons, including 23,000
tons of corn, has been sent to Somalia
since Oct. 1.
Cubans to stay with Army
for at least one more week
Army general calls U.S. military
severely limited in strength, scope
United Press International
SAN ANTONIO — The comman
der of the 5th Army, in charge of
reserve and national guard units
from the Gulf of Mexico to the Cana
dian border, says the U. S. military is
“woefully understrength.”
“Our armed forces are now cap
able of only engaging in limited war
fare for limited objectives for a li
mited time,” said Lt. Gen. William
B. Caldwell HI.
Caldwell said Monday he sensed
an increasing sense of urgency from
the public in the 5th Army area for
more military preparedness, “but it’s
not getting through to Congress.”
Caldwell and other military speak
ers have been making sobering
assessments of the U.S. defense
posture during Armed Forces Week
speeches throughout the city.
“If we don’t start achieving a rela
tive military balance with the Soviets
between 1982 and 1985, we will fall
so far behind we may never be able
to catch up,” Caldwell warned.
He said it would take six months to
draft men, train and deploy them,
adding, “I suggest we don’t have six
months to play with.”
“We only have one foundry that
makes tank turrets,” the Army lead
er said. “There is a critical shortage
of some types of ammunition. We no
longer enjoy the protection of the
oceans like we did before — it no
longer takes days to cross them.”
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