international community to contribute generously and urgently to meet Somalia's humanitarian relief assistance needs. As identified earlier in 1989 by a United Nations inter-agency mission, those needs had comprised food for approximately 67,000 people and assistance to rehabilitate damaged infrastructure, at a total cost of around $19 million. Unfortunately, since that report had been issued the security situation in the affected areas had shown no improvement. The difficulties under which humanitarian relief operations were being carried out could be gauged by the decision of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme to suspend, with effect from October 1989, their regular programmes for assisting refugees located in those areas. Both agencies had stressed that humanitarian assistance would be resumed as soon as conditions allowed. In February 1990, in response to an appeal by the Somali Government, the Secretary-General had announced his decision to launch an Extraordinary Interim Emergency Programme in north-western Somalia to provide emergency relief assistance to affected persons, including 140,000 refugees, over a six-month period. The Programme represented an exceptional humanitarian initiative undertaken on the understanding that its duration would be limited. Both the High Commissioner and the World Food Programme were in touch with donors in order to obtain the necessary resources. Donors' diffidence had stemmed from uncertainty whether successful relief activities could be carried out in a continued state of insecurity in much of northern Somalia. Concern about the political situation and the wish to see more active efforts to achieve national reconciliation had also been expressed. The principal target of the Emergency Programme was the provision of 2,000 tons of food aid each month. A non-governmental organization, ELU/CARE, would assist the Somali Government in its distribution. The Emergency Programme had been faced with 
**Analysis**
The text describes a situation of humanitarian crisis in Somalia, where the security situation is unstable and the international community is called upon to provide emergency relief assistance. The focus is on providing food aid and rehabilitating damaged infrastructure. This suggests that the primary concern is the well-being of people affected by the crisis, rather than economic or environmental issues.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, Health