Andrew Mitchell asks party members to give to the DEC's East Africa crisis appeal

By Paul Goodman
Follow Paul on Twitter.

We linked to a report of William Hague's Ramadan message at the foot of our newslinks earlier today.  Now a second message for the season arrives from Andrew Mitchell. E-mailed to Party members, the bulk of it reads as follows: 

"For millions of Muslims in the Horn of Africa, this month of fasting will be more than a matter of religious devotion. In Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia people are experiencing the worst humanitarian catastrophe in a generation. Many areas are facing the driest period for sixty years. 10 million people are in desperate need of emergency relief.

In the past few weeks, I have visited the region and was horrified by what I encountered. At one refugee camp in Kenya, I met women who had walked for weeks to reach refuge. Some had been robbed; many had met violence; others had lost children to hunger along the way.

We cannot ignore this appalling situation and I am proud that Britain is leading the way. The government has already provided over £90 million of aid to the region which will provide emergency assistance to more than 2 million people, including access to clean drinking water and treatment for starving children.

But far more is needed urgently. We are vigorously pressing the international community to join us in taking action. We also need to work together as a country, in line with our strong tradition of generosity, and do everything we can to support the DEC Appeal. The British public have already been incredibly supportive but please, as we enter Ramadan, reach into your pockets and give what you can."