ICRC News Release - Somalia: conflict and drought compound civilians' woes

Nairobi/Geneva (ICRC) – The longstanding armed conflict in Somalia is taking a heavy toll on the country's population. Thousands of people continue to flee the hostilities in Mogadishu. They either find refuge with relatives or host families or look for shelter in makeshift camps. In cooperation with the Somali Red Crescent Society, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed a distribution last week of items such as blankets, kitchen sets, jerrycans, sleeping mats and clothes for 75,000 displaced people (IDPs) from Mogadishu in southern and central Somalia.

In the drought-affected Sool region, in the northern part of the country, 36,000 displaced people received a two-month ration of beans, rice and oil. In addition, 120,000 displaced people and residents in various parts of the country were given seed that will enable them to harvest tomatoes, onions, carrots and other vegetables in the upcoming months. The dire humanitarian situation is particularly difficult for children to bear.

"Somalia's children have never known what it is like to live in peace; armed violence has ravaged the country ever since they were born," said Dr Ahmed M. Hassan, the president of the Somali Red Crescent. "Although they have adapted their short lives to the situation, they deserve all the support they can get."

Thousands of children have to cope with the task of surviving in a hostile environment where there is a constant danger of being caught in crossfire. Child-care institutions across the country are doing their best to provide children with food, clothes and medical care, at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult for civilians to contend with the deadly violence.

During the fasting month of Ramadan, the ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent are supplying various orphanages in Mogadishu and the Shabelle region with food. Around 5,800 children are receiving rice, flour, dates and oil. For Eid al fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the orphans will receive clothes.

The ICRC has been working in Somalia since 1977. It focuses on providing emergency aid and restoring family links for people directly affected by armed conflict, often in combination with natural disasters, and runs extensive first-aid, basic health-care and other medical programmes to treat the wounded and sick. It also carries out agricultural and water projects designed to improve the economic security of vulnerable communities over the medium term. It works closely with and supports the development of the Somali Red Crescent Society.

HALF OF SOMALIA’S POPULATION COULD GO HUNGRY, UN WARNS

Half of Somalia's population is in need of humanitarian assistance, according to a new United Nations report which finds that the conflict engulfing the Horn of Africa nation is pushing increasing numbers of people into hunger.

The Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO/FSNAU) says that the crisis in Somalia is both widespread and severe, with some 3.76 people in need of humanitarian aid, up from 3.17 million in January.

"This signals a serious deterioration in the emergency food security and nutrition situation from earlier this year," according to Cindy Holleman, Chief Technical Advisor of the Unit.

She adds that perhaps more worrying is that the increased fighting is occurring in the same areas that are now recording the greatest problems of food access and malnutrition and which are largely inaccessible to aid workers.

Emergency nutrition levels in several parts of the country have deteriorated further since January, with one in five children, up from one in six earlier this year, now acutely malnourished and one in 20 severely malnourished, among the highest rates in the world.

In the whole of Somalia, nearly 300,000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, of whom 70,000 are severely malnourished and are at an increased risk of death without appropriate specialist care.

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has skyrocketed since the start of the year, surging 40 per cent to 1.42 million people, and the conflict's epicentre in central and southern Somalia has also faced droughts due to several consecutive seasons without adequate rainfall.

With livestock having been decimated, the new report notes that in these areas, up to 75 per cent of the population can be characterized as living in a humanitarian emergency.

In a related development, the top UN envoy to Somalia called, on the occasion of the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, for an end to armed violence in the country.

In a letter to the Somalia diaspora, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, said that fighting continues to rage even though there are no more Ethiopian troops in the capital, Mogadishu.

"What reason is there now to continue fighting unless it is to capitalize on the insecurity for personal gain?" he asked. "What moral justification is there for instilling fear and terror in the population?"

The time has come, the envoy said, to "end this long conflict at home, that of Somalis fighting Somalis," stressing the need to seize the opportunity to bolster the country's fledgling Government.
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UN CONTINUES PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN AID TO SOMALIA

The United Nations is continuing its efforts to ameliorate the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia, rushing food and other vital items to the war-wracked Horn of Africa nation.

To prevent the spread of malaria in south-central Somalia, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is distributing enough mosquito nets to benefit nearly 30,000 households.

The agency also delivered 'Plumpy Doz' – a peanut paste containing skim milk, sugar, vitamins and minerals – to some 5,000 children between 6-36 months of age in the Wanla Weyne district to prevent malnutrition.

For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its local partners have wrapped up a supplementary feeding operation in Gaalkacyo, Galdobog and Jariiban districts for nearly 17,000 under-five children.

In northern Somalia, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies have launched an awareness campaigns for hundreds of people in the port city of Bossaso seeking to make the perilous boat journey across the Gulf of Aden to begin new lives in Yemen. Brochures detailing the dangers of the trip were distributed this week.

WFP also delivered 280 metric tonnes of food for more than 19,000 people in northern areas.

Escalating violence and a deteriorating humanitarian situation have driven thousands of Somalis from their homes, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring nations.

Earlier this week, a WFP compound in Wajiid, in southern Somalia, was attacked by armed gunmen, marking the fourth time that that the world body's offices in the Horn of Africa nation have been deliberately targeted.

The UN has repeatedly called on all parties in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers, who are tending to the needs of some 3.2 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, made vulnerable by the combined effects of conflict, drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency.

UN RELOCATES FIRST BATCH OF SOMALI REFUGEES FROM OVERCROWDED KENYAN CAMP

The first of nearly 13,000 Somali refugees have been moved out of an overcrowded Kenyan camp by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the agency reported today.

Just over 300 refugees arrived on 15 August after a three-day road journey at Kakuma camp, in Kenya's north-west, from the Dabaab complex, whose three sites house a total of 289,500 refugees.

Another convoy carrying 520 refugees left the congested Dabaab camps for Kakuma yesterday.

The relocation of Somali refugees "is part of a multi-phase plan to alleviate the chronic overcrowding in the 18-year-old Dabaab refugee camps, which currently host more than three times the population they were initially designed to accommodate," UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic told reporters today in Geneva.

The moves will wrap up by the end of October before the start of the rainy season, he added.

Upon arriving in Kakuma, refugees were given blankets, sleeping mats and kitchen sets before being transferred to their new accommodations.

Escalating violence and a deteriorating humanitarian situation have driven thousands of Somalis from their homes, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring nations. Since the start of this year, more than 43,000 Somali refugees have arrived in Dabaab.

Mr. Mahecic also voiced concern over the prolonged clashes in Somalia, where a World Food Programme (WFP) compound was attacked over the weekend, the fourth time in two months that UN offices in the Horn of Africa nation have been deliberately targeted.

"The continued abductions, killing and intimidation of aid workers and the pillaging of humanitarian facilities and supplies are making it increasingly difficult to reach and access the needy population," he said.

The security situation is also thwarting the delivery of aid to 1.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia, where more than 3 million people are in dire need of assistance, the spokesperson emphasized.

UNHCR helps and protects over 500,000 refugees in Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda.
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UN DEPLORES ATTACK ON AID COMPOUND IN SOUTHERN SOMALIA

The United Nations has strongly condemned the attack against its aid compound in southern Somalia on Sunday, the fourth time in two months that the world body's offices in the Horn of Africa nation have been deliberately targeted.

Armed gunmen carried out the attack around midnight on 16 August at the World Food Programme (WFP) compound in Wajiid, according to a statement issued by the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

The attack comes less than one month after Somali militants raided two UN compounds Baidoa and Wajiid, stealing equipment and vehicles and forcing the Organization to close down one of its operations in the strife-torn nation.

"This direct, deliberate and sustained attack on aid organizations and aid workers is intolerable," acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Graham Farmer said, urging all parties to allow unhindered access for aid workers assisting those in need.

The UN has repeatedly called on all parties in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers, who are tending to the needs of some 3.2 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, made vulnerable by the combined effects of conflict, drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency.
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UN AGENCIES LAUNCH NEXT ROUND OF CHILD HEALTH INITIATIVE IN SOMALIA

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have launched a second round of Child Health Days in Somalia in a bid to improve child survival rates in the violence-wracked country.

The aim of the days is to deliver a package of critical health services, including vaccinations, vitamin supplements and hygiene education, to children under five and to women of child-bearing age.

The first round of Child Health Days, held during the first six months of this year, reached an estimated 1.8 million women and children throughout the country. This time, some 5,000 volunteers are targeting 1 million women and children in the Somaliland region, before moving on to the central-south region and Puntland in October and December.

The package includes measles and polio immunization, vitamin A supplementation, de-worming, aqua-tabs to treat drinking water, hygiene education, tetanus vaccination for women, and nutritional screening and referral.
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SOMALIA: THREATS TO AID AGENCIES HAMPERING UNICEF’S LIFE-SAVING ACTIVITIES

Hostility towards relief organizations has caused the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to postpone the distribution of life-saving supplies to prevent and treat acute malnutrition in over 85,000 children in central and south Somalia, the agency announced today.

Also disrupted was the delivery of insecticide-treated bed nets for more than 100,000 women and children, according to a news release from the agency.

"We need concrete assurances from local authorities for the safe delivery and storage of supplies to ensure that we can carry out programmes for the survival of Somali women and children," said Rozanne Chorlton, UNICEF's representative in the country.

"We hope these assurances will be forthcoming very soon so that we can continue our operations at a level that matches the needs of children and women and prevent the deaths that will otherwise certainly occur," she added.

Yesterday, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, welcomed the release of four aid workers and two pilots who were abducted nine months ago and called for the freeing of remaining hostages.

"It is with great satisfaction that I received the news concerning the release of the six hostages who had been held for so long, and taken into captivity while working in Somalia," he said.

The four aid workers, who were serving with the French non-governmental organization (NGO) Action Against Hunger, and two pilots were abducted last November from an airstrip in the central Somali town of Dusamareb.

UNICEF noted today that its compound in Jowhar, central Somalia, which serves as the main hub for operations in the area, was taken over in May, with large amounts of urgently-needed humanitarian supplies and communications equipment either destroyed or taken.

Reports indicate that UNICEF emergency aid stored in a partner agency's warehouse in Jammame was taken earlier this month.

UNICEF provides vaccines and drugs in central Somalia, targeting 1.2 million children under five years of age, as well as 1.4 million women.

The UN has repeatedly called on all parties in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers, who are tending to the needs of some 3 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, made vulnerable by the combined effects of conflict, drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency.
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SOMALIA: UN ENVOY WELCOMES RELEASE OF ABDUCTED AID WORKERS

The top United Nations envoy for Somalia today welcomed the release of four aid workers and two pilots who were abducted nine months ago and called for the freeing of remaining hostages.

"It is with great satisfaction that I received the news concerning the release of the six hostages who had been held for so long, and taken into captivity while working in Somalia," said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.

The four aid workers, who were serving with the French non-governmental organization (NGO) Action Against Hunger, and two pilots were abducted last November from an airstrip in the central Somali town of Dusamareb.

"I salute their courage in the face of such physically and emotionally difficult circumstances and I am pleased that an end has come to the concerns and worries endured by their loved ones," stated Mr. Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia.

"We should not, however, forget the number of Somalis and foreign nationals that are still being held hostage in unacceptable conditions, an action that should be vehemently condemned by the Somalis and the international community," he added.

Last month UN humanitarian chief John Holmes warned that aid workers in Somalia -- and many other countries -- are coming under increasingly violent attack.

The UN has repeatedly called on all parties in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers, who are tending to the needs of some 3 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, made vulnerable by the combined effects of conflict, drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency.

Despite the signing of peace agreements, the formation of a new government and election of a new president, Somalia continues to experience strife and instability. Clashes in the capital, Mogadishu, since early May between Government forces and the Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam militant groups have forced over 200,000 people from their homes, many of them for the second time over the course of the past year.

UN WARNS IT LACKS ACCESS TO 500,000 HUNGRY SOMALIS

Lack of access has prevented the United Nations from delivering food to 500,000 of its planned 3.3 million beneficiaries in Somalia over the past month, principally in Mogadishu and the south of the battle-scarred country.

At the same time, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) will face critical shortfalls as of October and urgently requires 209,000 metric tons of food worth $208 million to cover the current aid pipeline until the end of March 2010, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

As of the end of July, the Somalia consolidated appeal was 52 per cent funded at $438 million. In July, WFP delivered about 33,725 metric tons of food, 83 per cent of the planned tonnage, to 2.8 million beneficiaries in south-central Somalia and Puntland and Somaliland in the north. Lack of access and minor pipeline shortfalls cut off delivery from the full target of 3.3 million, OCHA said.

Mogadishu and the south have been shattered by an upsurge of attacks from Al-Shabaab and other militant Islamic groups against the provisional Government in a country that has had no functioning central authority and has been riven by factional fighting for nearly two decades.

WFP this week completed nutrition screening of vulnerable groups in Afmadow district in the Lower Juba region in southern Somalia, identifying 4,500 people, most of them children under the age of five, pregnant and lactating women in need of supplementary feeding. The agency will distribute 190 metric tons of food to them. Further screening is ongoing in the nearby Dobley district. In August, WFP will assist some 70,000 people with supplementary feeding in Somalia.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), meanwhile, has completed the construction of a two-kilometre network of pipes, tanks and kiosks to provide safe drinking water for nearly 17,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Kaa Shiqal camp in Banadir district, near Mogadishu.

More than 10,500 people, mainly newly arrived IDPs, will benefit from 200 newly constructed latrines in IDP camps to the north and south of Mogadishu, OCHA reported.
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SOMALIA NEEDS GREATER INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT TO REBUILD, UN ENVOY SAYS

Somalia needs stronger support from the international community if its people are to rebuild their war-shattered society, the top United Nations envoy to the Horn of Africa nation said today as he welcomed a meeting between the Somali President and the United States Secretary of State.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN Special Representative for Somalia, said the meeting between Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hillary Clinton in Nairobi was an important show of support for peace and stability in Somalia.

"It is in line with, and strengthens the positions of, the InterGovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the European Union (EU) on Somalia," he said, according to a press release issued by the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS).

"The Government needs strong backing to continue its dialogue with various parties and to increase security for the people," Mr. Ould-Abdallah added.

"The time has come for countries, groups, individuals and especially spoilers to show more understanding and respect for Somalia and help its people to rebuild their society and their country. Respecting Somalia does not mean recycling proposals to hold 'inclusive national conferences' again and again."

The Special Representatives stressed that Somalis themselves are sick and tired of the violence in their country, which has not had a fully functioning national government since 1991, and are ready for dialogue between warring parties.

Despite the signing of peace agreements, the formation of a new Government and election of a new president, Somalia has endured a resurgence of violence in recent months. Fighting between Government forces and the Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam militant groups in Mogadishu since early May have forced over 200,000 people from their homes, many of them for the second time over the course of the past year.
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INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR SOMALIA MORE CRUCIAL THAN EVER BEFORE, SAYS UN ENVOY

The top United Nations envoy for Somalia today called on the Security Council to take "concrete" steps to help bring stability to the strife-torn nation, stressing that the support of the international community is more important now than ever.

"I believe that today we are at a turning point," Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, said as he briefed the Security Council.

"It is clear that the population and its traditional leaders reject violence and those behind it. Therefore, the support of the international community is even more crucial at this time."

Despite the signing of peace agreements, the formation of a new government and election of a new president, Somalia has seen a resurgence of violence in recent months.

Fighting between Government forces and the Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam militant groups in Mogadishu since early May have forced over 200,000 people from their homes, many of them for the second time over the course of the past year.

"The Somali people have endured too much – they have seen their loved ones killed and maimed, been forced to flee their homes again and again and suffered endless abuses of their human rights," said Mr. Ould-Abdallah.

He called on the 15-member Council to take action to help the Horn of Africa nation, noting that "past failures should not discourage us from taking future action to help stability."

While the Government has made important strides, it still needs immediate political and financial support to improve the situation, he said, adding that the authorities in Puntland and Somaliland also need resources to ensure that stability endures.

The Special Representative also echoed the call made by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his recent report to boost the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). "The African Union troops have shown remarkable courage and dedication in solidarity with the Somali people. They deserve the backing of all Council members," said Mr. Ould-Abdallah.

Mr. Ban had also urged the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to press ahead with encouraging opposition groups to work towards peace in Somalia. His envoy noted that due to their proximity, knowledge and interest in Somalia, IGAD member States should be recognized as having a leading role on Somali issues.

He added that the time has come for the UN to show it is serious about moving to Somalia. "Our temporary presence in Nairobi has lasted far too long. We can only work effectively for peace with the Somalis and address pressing humanitarian needs if we are close to the victims of famine, violence and different abuses.

"My office and other leading UN agencies, including humanitarian ones, along with concerned diplomats and NGOs [non-governmental organizations], should move to Mogadishu," Mr. Ould-Abdallah stated, adding that the establishment of a "Green Zone," similar to those elsewhere, will facilitate this process.
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CLASHES IN SOMALIA FORCING MORE REFUGEES ACROSS GULF OF ADEN – UN AGENCY

Fleeing escalating violence in the capital, Mogadishu, and central Somalia, thousands of Somalis are making the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden to begin new lives in Yemen, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

Some 12,000 Somalis – out of 232,000 people who have escaped clashes that broke out in early May between Government forces and the Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam militant groups – have reached the northern port town of Bossaso since early May, and most of them are hoping that smugglers will transport them to Yemen.

Partners of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report that Bossaso is already very crowded and that smugglers are already collecting cash from refugees trying to reach Yemen.

"As the sea is already very dangerous because of the prevailing conditions, the majority of the people are expected to camp in Bossaso and wait for September, when winds are more favourable," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva today.

Last year, over 50,000 people reached Yemen's shores, marking a 70 per cent increase from 2007. During the first half of 2009 alone, more than 30,000 people have made the "dangerous journey" to Yemen, Mr. Redmond noted.

In 2008, over 1,000 people died, either being thrown overboard or forced to disembark from boats too far from the shore by smugglers, as they attempted to make landfall in Yemen, he added.

So far this year, nearly 300 people have lost their lives or are missing as they tried to cross the Gulf of Aden, according to UNHCR.

"The smuggling phenomenon places increasing strain on Yemen's limited resources and poses more challenges to the Government's efforts to balance its obligations under international law with the need to protect the country from illegal entry," Mr. Redmond said.

New arrivals are picked up by UNHCR's partner agencies and taken to reception centres where they are registered and given food, shelter, medical assistance and other basic assistance while they recover from their journey.

"The Government of Yemen recognizes Somalis as refugees on a prima facie basis," the agency's spokesperson said, adding that the refugees can choose to shelter at the Kharaz camp two hours west of the Yemeni capital, Aden, where they receive legal and physical protection and help.

Already 13,000 refugees, mostly from Somalia, have made Kharaz camp home temporarily, while tens of thousands of other refugees have chosen to stay in urban areas around Yemen.

Somalia is one of the world's biggest refugee-producing countries, and UNHCR is providing protection and assistance to nearly 500,000 Somali refugees in nearby countries while also reaching out to 1.3 million people displaced within Somalia.
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SOMALIA: UN ENVOY WELCOMES LATEST MEETING OF INITIATIVE TO BOLSTER SECURITY

The senior United Nations envoy to Somalia today welcomed the first meeting in Mogadishu of a joint committee set up to boost safety and security across the war-wracked country.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, said the meeting of the Joint Security Committee in the Somali capital was "an important step towards reforming and improving security."

The committee, which comprises representatives of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the international community, met on Saturday to discuss the latest developments in the Horn of Africa nation.

It was established by the Djibouti Agreement last year to discuss security issues and aims to harmonize the work of the TFG and the international community, particularly concerning efforts to bolster Somalia's fragile security institutions such as the national army and police.

"This committee provides a key forum for the Somali Government and international community to work together on supporting the security sector at this crucial time," Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.

The committee, which is also mandated to facilitate the disbursement of pledges made at a conference in Brussels, Belgium, in April to boost Somali security, is expected to eventually cover other areas, including the rule of law and security sector reform.
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GROWING INSECURITY IN SOMALI CAPITAL HAMPERING AID ACCESS, UN WARNS

Aid workers are finding it increasingly difficult to gain access and provide assistance to residents of the Somali capital because of the worsening conflict there, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

This week's scheduled distribution of 4,000 aid kits in Mogadishu and surrounding areas had to be postponed because of security concerns, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond told journalists in Geneva.

The looting by militants of UN facilities in Baidoa and Wajid yesterday has meant assistance efforts in those areas have also ground to a halt.

"We again appeal to the warring parties in Somalia to respect basic international humanitarian and human rights principles and to guarantee the safety and security of the civilian population as well as for the humanitarian workers trying to help the victims," Mr. Redmond said.

The UN's top humanitarian official, John Holmes, warned yesterday that aid workers in Somalia – and many other countries – are coming under increasingly violent attack.

An estimated 223,000 residents have now left Mogadishu since early May, when the Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam militant groups launched attacks against Government forces in the capital. In the past fortnight alone, about 20,000 people have fled their homes.

The newly displaced join another 400,000 Somalis packed into the Afgooye corridor, a congested strip of land that runs southwest from Mogadishu and is packed with makeshift shelters.

Mr. Redmond said non-governmental organizations (NGOs) trying to operate in the Afgooye area say they are overstretched and unable to cope with the latest influx.

"There is a lack of adequate shelter, sanitation facilities and clean drinking water. The situation has grown worse following recent torrential rains. The lack of sufficient latrines poses a major health risk."

The widespread insecurity means aid workers are struggling to deliver humanitarian assistance from the port of Mogadishu to the Afgooye corridor.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that it is especially concerned about deadly outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea, which is on the rise again around Mogadishu after two years of decline.

WHO is working with its NGO partners to provide cholera kits, oral rehydration sachets, aqua tabs and chlorine, and transport communication sets in a bid to contain the outbreaks of diarrhoea and cholera.

Two of Mogadishu's four functioning hospitals are admitting only war-wounded patients and trauma patients for emergency surgery, which is adding to the burden for other facilities.

In the Bakool region, which is home to at least 300,000 people, several health facilities – including a hospital in the town of Xudur – have had to be closed because of insecurity and hostility towards aid workers.

A spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP) said that the agency was committed to helping Somalis and was continuing its operations, despite yesterday's attack by looters.
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DONOR HELP CRUCIAL AS HEALTH SITUATION CRUMBLES IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL SOMALIA – UN

Donor assistance is urgently needed as the health situation in southern and central Somalia, including its violence-wracked capital, Mogadishu, continues to deteriorate, the United Nations humanitarian arm said today.

Violence in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation has impeded access to essential and life-saving health services, as well as to clean water and sanitation, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

A fresh wave of fighting, which broke out in Mogadishu in May, has driven 200,000 people from their homes, in addition to the more than 400,000 already displaced near the capital and along the Afgooye corridor, west of Mogadishu.

Poor coverage of health care is leading to more frequent communicable disease outbreaks, rising rates of severe acute malnutrition, and falling immunization rates, among other effects.

"With the country already facing one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world, the humanitarian health community is finding itself constrained by the health funding deficit, leaving a number of critical life-saving health projects uninitiated and ongoing ones under threat of cessation," OCHA said in a donor alert.

Earlier this week, relief organizations in Somalia issued an $11 million appeal to meet the emergency water and sanitation needs of those who have fled Mogadishu in recent weeks.

Aid agencies are currently only able to supply two to eight litres of water per person per day in that area, while between 7.5 and 15 litres – less than one flush of an average toilet – is considered the minimum needed for survival, according to OCHA.

There is also currently one latrine for every 212 displaced people in the Afgooye corridor, and a major concern is that effect the lack of water is having on efforts to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in overcrowded situations.
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REPORTS FROM SOMALIA SUGGEST POSSIBLE WAR CRIMES, SAYS UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF

It is clear that grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law – possibly amounting to war crimes – are being committed in strife-torn Somalia, a top United Nations official said today.

Despite the signing of a peace accord last year and the formation of a new government this past February, ongoing violence has caused enormous suffering and massive displacement in the Horn of Africa nation.

More than 200,000 people have been forced to flee the capital, Mogadishu, since the latest round of fighting began in early May between the Government and the Al-Shabab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups.

"In this new wave of attacks, it is clear that civilians – especially women and children – are bearing the brunt of the violence," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, noting that attacks against civilians have been one of the main features of the conflicts that have engulfed the country since 1991.

"There needs to be a much greater effort to protect civilians. Displaced people and human rights defenders, aid workers and journalists are among those most exposed, and in some cases are being directly targeted," she added.

UN investigators who spoke with refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) that fled the recent surge in fighting were told that the Al-Shabab groups have carried out extrajudicial executions, planted mines, bombs and other explosive devices in civilian areas, and used civilians as human shields, according to a news release from the High Commissioner's office (OHCHR).

In addition, fighters from both sides are reported to have used torture, and fired mortars indiscriminately into areas populated or frequented by civilians. There has also been increasing evidence of child recruitment by various forces.

"Some of these acts might amount to war crimes," Ms. Pillay said.

She added that the work of human rights defenders and journalists in Mogadishu has become "extremely precarious," with six journalists having been killed in Mogadishu – four of them apparently victims of target assassinations – since the beginning of the year.

"It is vital that the fighting and violence stop as soon as possible," the High Commissioner said, adding that once order has been restored, those responsible for human rights violations and abuses should be brought to justice.

"The gathering of evidence, by all who are in a position to do so, has to continue so that those committing these terrible crimes in Somalia will one day receive their due punishment before a court of law, and their victims will finally see justice being done," she stated.

Meanwhile, in response to the displacement crisis facing many civilians from Mogadishu, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are working to address the needs of those uprooted from their homes.

They are distributing emergency supplies, including plastic sheets, blankets, jerry cans, soap and mosquito nets, for over 6,000 households – about 47,000 people – in and around Mogadishu.

The majority of the displaced persons have moved to the Afgooye corridor, a stretch of very densely populated displacement settlements, which is already hosting about 400,000 people.
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REPORTS FROM SOMALIA SUGGEST POSSIBLE WAR CRIMES, SAYS UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF

It is clear that grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law – possibly amounting to war crimes – are being committed in strife-torn Somalia, a top United Nations official said today.

Despite the signing of a peace accord last year and the formation of a new government this past February, ongoing violence has caused enormous suffering and massive displacement in the Horn of Africa nation.

More than 200,000 people have been forced to flee the capital, Mogadishu, since the latest round of fighting began in early May between the Government and the Al-Shabab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups.

"In this new wave of attacks, it is clear that civilians – especially women and children – are bearing the brunt of the violence," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, noting that attacks against civilians have been one of the main features of the conflicts that have engulfed the country since 1991.

"There needs to be a much greater effort to protect civilians. Displaced people and human rights defenders, aid workers and journalists are among those most exposed, and in some cases are being directly targeted," she added.

UN investigators who spoke with refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) that fled the recent surge in fighting were told that the Al-Shabab groups have carried out extrajudicial executions, planted mines, bombs and other explosive devices in civilian areas, and used civilians as human shields, according to a news release from the High Commissioner's office (OHCHR).

In addition, fighters from both sides are reported to have used torture, and fired mortars indiscriminately into areas populated or frequented by civilians. There has also been increasing evidence of child recruitment by various forces.

"Some of these acts might amount to war crimes," Ms. Pillay said.

She added that the work of human rights defenders and journalists in Mogadishu has become "extremely precarious," with six journalists having been killed in Mogadishu – four of them apparently victims of target assassinations – since the beginning of the year.

"It is vital that the fighting and violence stop as soon as possible," the High Commissioner said, adding that once order has been restored, those responsible for human rights violations and abuses should be brought to justice.

"The gathering of evidence, by all who are in a position to do so, has to continue so that those committing these terrible crimes in Somalia will one day receive their due punishment before a court of law, and their victims will finally see justice being done," she stated.
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SPIRALING VIOLENCE CLAIMS HUNDREDS OF LIVES IN SOMALIA – UN REFUGEE AGENCY

The United Nations refugee agency today voiced its grave concern over the escalating violence and worsening displacement crisis in the Somali capital, where local hospitals report that over 250 civilians have been killed and nearly 1,000 others wounded since fighting erupted last month.

Continued fighting, which broke out on 7 May in several parts of north-west Mogadishu between Government forces and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam, "is leaving a trail of civilian casualties, destruction and renewed displacement," William Spindler, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva.

Since violence broke out last month, the agency estimates that over 160,000 people have been driven to other parts of Somalia or to neighbouring nations, with some 26,000 uprooted between 19 and 22 June alone.

Most of the internally displaced persons (IDPs), numbering nearly 50,000, have moved to safer areas within Mogadishu or to makeshift camps on the capital's outskirts. A further 45,000 people have fled towards the so-called Afgooye corridor 30 kilometres south-east of Mogadishu, joining 400,000 other IDPs who have been displaced since 2007.

Some of the newly displaced are families who had recently returned to the capital after a period of relative peace in the first quarter of this year, Mr. Spindler said.

"Many IDPs tell stories of hardship and suffering as they try to flee the embattled Somali capital," he added, noting that most people escaping the clashes are leaving on minibuses, whose drivers are charging $250 or more, carrying 20 people on average.

According to UNHCR's local partners, a mother of six who had left Mogadishu said it took her nine days to reach Afmadow, 400 kilometres west of the capital, with transporters taking her money and leaving her family stranded along the route.

"The deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around Mogadishu," the agency's spokesperson said, adding that UNHCR partners, which are providing emergency aid to IDPs, are facing growing security problems.

Neighbouring Kenya is seeing numbers of Somalis crossing the border increase. Since the start of the year, 38,000 new refugees – virtually all of them from Somalia – have arrived. The Dabaab camp, the largest in the world, is currently home to nearly 300,000 people, three times the number it is intended to hold.

More than $4 million has been allocated from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to alleviate overcrowding and assist Somali refugees at Kenyan camps, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

Last week, the Security Council voiced its concern at the situation in Somalia, reiterating its support for the Transitional Federal Government, its efforts to achieve peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia through the UN-facilitated Djibouti process, which aided the formation of the new government in February, as well as the creation of a newly-expanded Parliament and election of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
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SOMALIA: SECURITY COUNCIL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RECENT SUICIDE BOMBING

The Security Council today strongly condemned the suicide car-bomb attack in Somalia that killed the national security minister, Omar Hashi Aden, and a number of innocent civilians on 18 June.

The blast at a hotel in Beledweyne, north of the capital, Mogadishu, reportedly killed 35 people.

In a press statement read out by Ambassador Baki Ilkin of Turkey, which holds the rotating Council presidency for June, the 15-member body offered "their sincere condolences to the families of those murdered or injured in the attack, as well as to the Government and the people of Somalia."

The Council reiterated its support for the Transitional Federal Government, its efforts to achieve peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia through the UN-facilitated Djibouti process, which aided the formation of the new government in February, as well as the creation of a newly-expanded Parliament and election of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

The body also expressed its continued backing for the work of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in its statement, while condemning the recent flare up of deadly violence in the Horn of Africa country.
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FRESH HOSTILITIES PUTTING SOMALI WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT RISK, WARNS UNICEF

A new wave of aggression and hostilities against humanitarian operations in Somalia is putting at risk the lives of the strife-torn nation's children and women, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned today.

The agency cited in particular the take-over and month-long occupation of its compound in the Central Somali town of Jowhar by militiamen after the town came under the control of the Al-Shabaab group last month.

The Jowhar compound is the biggest operational hub for UNICEF's support to about 200 feeding centres, and the subsequent looting and destruction of vital humanitarian items during the attack on 17 May have seriously affected its ability to assist the most vulnerable children and women.

"Perpetrators of these unacceptable and irresponsible actions must understand that their actions have serious consequences on their own children and women, their own communities and people," said Hannan Suleiman, acting UNICEF Representative to Somalia.

"We are talking about over a million children under five years of age. We're talking about 40,000 children under three years old who are malnourished that will not be provided with feeding products. We are talking about over 700,000 women that will not be provided with tetanus shots, vaccinations and other services," she said in an interview with UN Radio.

UNICEF is demanding that its facilities in Jowhar town be vacated by the militiamen and that all of its looted supplies and equipment be returned.

Fighting broke out in early May between Government troops and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups, driving around 100,000 people from their homes in the capital, Mogadishu.

In a related development, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has condemned an attack in Mogadishu that left one journalist dead and another seriously injured.

Two unidentified men opened fire on Muktar Mohamed Hirabe, the director of Radio Shabelle, and Ahmed Omar Hashi, Radio Shabelle's news editor, as they were walking in Bakara Market on 7 June.

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said the killing of Mr. Hirabe and the wounding of Mr. Hashi constitute "an intolerable breach" of the basic human right of freedom of expression and of citizens' right to be informed.

"It is essential for the return of peace and democracy to Somalia that those in positions of authority do all they can to end these unacceptable attacks on media personnel. It is also essential that measures be taken to punish the culprits of these crimes," he stated.

The 48-year-old radio director is the fifth journalist assassinated in Somalia this year, according to UNESCO.
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