The current horrific human tragedy in Somalia following the region’s worst drought in 60 years is most agonising and distressing and has now reached a terrible proportion which perhaps is virtually indescribable. The situation has now moved from one whereby people are not just dying in the thousands from starvation and thirst, but to one where diseases may reach epidemic levels.

The Associated Press reported that World Health Organisation (WHO) officials said Friday that famine-hit Somalia faces a cholera epidemic as dirty water and poor sanitation are leading to an increase in outbreaks of the disease.

Officials say cases of acute watery diarrhoea –  an important indicator of the risks of cholera – are now at 4,272 in Somalia-  an 11 percent rise on last week’s WHO reported figure of 3,839.

WHO public health adviser Dr. Michel Yao told reporters in Geneva on Friday that the number of cholera cases has also risen sharply this year, with officials confirming 18 cases in the 30 lab samples taken in recent days from people living in the capital, Mogadishu.

Yao said the 60 percent infection rate confirms that there is a “high risk” of the disease spreading quickly – “so we can say we have an epidemic.”

The random samples, which were tested in a lab in the capital, were drawn from among 4,272 samples from people who have suffered the diarrhoea, he said. So far, he said, there have been 181 acute watery diarrhoea-related deaths.

On the other hand, millions are fleeing to other neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya creating a refugee crisis and putting pressure on the weak economies of these countries, apart from generating social tension.

Since the beginning of 2011, around 15,000 Somalis each month have fled into refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia looking for food and water. The refugee camp at Dadaab, in Kenya, has been overwhelmed by an estimated 400,000 people.

But as if adding salt to the wound, the response by the international community and the rich nations has been lukewarm and not reflective of the scale of the tragedy in Somalia. This is perplexing and raises the question of whether it is deliberate or the inertia is justified.

However, it is more likely that it is the former because of Somalia’s association with piracy and its antagonistic relations with the US. If this is the case, then it is most unfortunate because humanitarian aid should be delinked from any other issues or preconditions.

Even some of the international media, which have a crucial role in such situations, do not seem to be placing any great focus on the suffering of the Somali people.

The irony of all this is that many of  the rich countries respond with lightning speed when it comes to military strikes and wars which only cause destruction of lives and property and immeasurable human suffering.

There are several recent examples which confirm this – Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya where hundreds of billions are being spent to cause human suffering of untold proportions.

But when it comes to responding to humanitarian suffering, like in Somalia and emergencies, there is no rush to have resolutions passed at the UN or a swift dispatch of aid.

Yet it is these countries which are guilty of this cruel deed that are imposing themselves as the vanguard and bulwark of human rights and democracy. What an unfortunate situation, but it is not too late to at least repair some of the damage done.