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.

SITUATION IN SOMALIA DIFFICULT, BUT NOT ‘HOPELESS,’ SAYS TOP UN ENVOY

SITUATION IN SOMALIA DIFFICULT, BUT NOT 'HOPELESS,' SAYS TOP UN ENVOY
New York, May 22 2009 5:00PM
The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today characterized the situation in the Horn of Africa nation as "very difficult … but not hopeless," as news media reported fresh outbreaks of deadly clashes in the capital, Mogadishu.

Speaking to UN Radio from his headquarters in Nairobi, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, said that among the tragedies, there was the fact that many of the people fleeing the capital were escaping violence for at least the second time.

They had returned to Mogadishu after the signing of the UN-backed peace agreements in Djibouti in January, only to be sent running for their lives again after intense fighting between Government troops and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups began in Mogadishu on 8 May.

Most of the uprooted have headed to makeshift camps south-west of the capital that already are home to some 400,000 people.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) reported today that some 46,000 people had fled the capital since the fighting broke out earlier this month.

"I hope they will return soon with the betterment of the situation," Mr. Ould-Abdallah said today.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimated that over 50,000 severely malnourished children throughout the country will be without supplies because of the fighting in Mogadishu and the 17 May looting of a UNICEF office in the town of Jowhar, 90 kilometres north of the capital, which serves as the main hub for the provision of services and supplies to the whole of the central and southern regions of Somalia.

Mr. Ould-Abdallah said today that he does not believe the current situation in Somalia is hopeless.

"It is a long-running conflict," he said, noting that "the tragedy in Somalia is the central government has been very weak."

With the Djibouti peace agreement, the Representative said, "we have the beginning of a credible [government]. We have to help it be functional."

Acknowledging that it is a "tough job," he underscored that the situation is "not hopeless – and it may in fact work!"

<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF has reported that the looting of its Jowhar office has resulted in the destruction of humanitarian supplies, assets and equipment, including vaccine cold storage, rendering thousands of doses of measles, polio and other vaccines for Somali children unusable.

However, UNICEF and UNHCR said today that they plan to go ahead with a major distribution of non-food items in the coming days, targeting more than 100,000 displaced people.

The UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) reported that dry food distributions had not been adversely affected as of Thursday, with 14 out of 16 distribution points in Mogadishu serving over 80,000 cooked meals on a daily basis.
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LOOTING OF LIFE-SAVING SUPPLIES SEVERELY HAMPERS UNICEF’S EFFORTS IN SOMALIA

LOOTING OF LIFE-SAVING SUPPLIES SEVERELY HAMPERS UNICEF'S EFFORTS IN SOMALIA
New York, May 21 2009 2:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/index.php">UNICEF) has strongly condemned the looting and destruction of relief supplies in the Somali town of Johar, warning that this will have an enormous impact on efforts to aid the country's women and children.

"Our programmes, including provision of immunization against preventable diseases like measles and polio, operation of feeding centres for acutely malnourished children, implementation of Child Health Days Campaign, as well as provision of safe drinking water will be severely hampered, putting the lives of vulnerable children and their communities at risk," said Christian Balslev- Olesen, UNICEF Representative to Somalia.

According to a <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49736.html">news release issued by the agency yesterday, militiamen raided the UNICEF compound in Jowhar town – located 90 kilometres north of Mogadishu – on 17 May, looting supplies and destroying assets and equipments.

Jowhar is the main hub for the provision of services and supplies to the whole of the central and southern regions of Somalia, noted UNICEF.

The agency said that the cold chain (vaccine storage) equipment has been affected, destroying thousands of doses of measles, polio and other vaccines that were meant to prevent serious diseases among Somali children. Also, supplies of food for the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition among children were also looted.

Among other things, the incident will disrupt the second round of the Child Health Days Campaign aiming to reach over 1.2 million under-five children and 840,000 women with a high-impact life-saving health and nutritional packages.

"These malicious acts of looting and vandalism that pose a serious threat to the lives and welfare of Somali children must stop," said Mr. Balslev-Olesen. "UNICEF urges all parties involved to have children's well-being at heart. Humanitarian operations must not be impeded."

At least 3.2 million people – or 40 per cent of the Horn of Africa nation's population – will continue to need humanitarian assistance and livelihood support through this September, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA).
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SOMALIA: TOP UN ENVOY PRAISES NEW GOVERNMENT, URGES FULL SUPPORT

SOMALIA: TOP UN ENVOY PRAISES NEW GOVERNMENT, URGES FULL SUPPORT
New York, Mar 13 2009 1:00PM

The United Nations' top envoy for Somalia today lauded progress made in the past month by the new Government of the Horn of Africa country, which has been torn by factional strife since the overthrow of Siad Barre in 1991.

In a statement issued in Nairobi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah encouraged the Government of National Unity to continue working towards peace and stability and urged Somalis and the international community to support it.

The formation of the Government last month, and its return to the violence-plagued capital, Mogadishu, followed on the 2008 UN-facilitated Djibouti Agreement between the Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, in which the two agreed to end their conflict.

In today's statement, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said he was pleased by the number of "patriotic Parliamentarians" who have returned to Mogadishu to start their work, and called for concrete diplomatic and material assistance for both branches of the administration.

"President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Speaker and the Prime Minister have demonstrated responsible leadership in all fields and the unity Government is now functioning from the capital," Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.

He added that the Council of Ministers has met a number of times and passed important measures, including one on the place of Sharia, or Islamic law, in the country.

"All these developments will not only help the move towards normality inside the country, but will also help secure Somalia's image and reputation abroad. There is now absolutely no excuse for any Somali to continue plotting to destroy more Somali lives," he said.

Planning is underway for the next meeting of the High Level Committee that is tasked to look at such issues as political cooperation, justice and reconciliation, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said, adding that there would also be a meeting of the Joint Security Committee shortly.

With the vast majority of Somalis working together for the first time in many years, he said, the international community must do its part to fully support the new Government. "This help is not needed at some point in the future, but right now," he stressed.

He noted that President Ahmed has received offers of support from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Unite States and elsewhere and Somalia will be discussed at the Security Council on 20 March and at the upcoming League of Arab States Summit in Qatar.

In his latest report on Somalia, Secretary-General Ban also praised recent progress, but cautioned that much work lies ahead, with the instability caused by hostilities, abductions and fear continuing to hinder delivery of vital humanitarian aid.

A January UN analysis found that more than three million people in Somalia, a third or more of the total population, will remain dependent on assistance this year.

Mr. Ban noted that among the aims of the UN's comprehensive strategy for Somalia is to help the African Union Mission there (AMISOM) give Somali security institutions the capacity to create a level of security to enable the Djibouti peace process to continue.

The UN Security Council has yet to decide whether to deploy a multidimensional UN peacekeeping operation that would take over from AMISOM.
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BAN WELCOMES SOMALIA’S COMMITMENT TO RECONCILIATION, BUT NOTES HURDLES AHEAD

BAN WELCOMES SOMALIA'S COMMITMENT TO RECONCILIATION, BUT NOTES HURDLES AHEAD
New York, Mar 11 2009 6:00PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has lauded the resolve of Somalia's leaders and people to press ahead with reconciliation efforts, in spite of the numerous challenges the Horn of Africa nation faces.

The recent expansion of the Parliament and the peaceful election of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed are "clearly testimony of the commitment of the parties to move forward with national reconciliation," Mr. Ban wrote in his latest report on Somalia, made public today.

He said he is "pleased" that the new Somali leader has stated that he plans to reach out to groups opposed to the UN-brokered Djibouti process, urging "all the people of Somalia to embrace the spirit of forgiveness and compromise and put the past behind them for the sake of peace and reconciliation."

But the Secretary-General noted the many challenges ahead for the war-torn nation which has not had a functioning government since 1991.

"The simmering conflict between the forces of peace and those opposed to peace is just one example of those hurdles," he wrote, adding that the instability caused by hostilities, abductions and fear continue to hinder delivery of vital humanitarian aid.

A January UN analysis found that more than three million people in Somalia, a third or more of the total population, will remain dependent on humanitarian assistance this year.

The new report also commended the international community's response to combating piracy off the Somali coast, calling on donors to help fund a Joint Security Force and effective government mechanisms to help fight the continuing threat posed by the scourge.

Mr. Ban noted that among the aims of the UN's comprehensive strategy for Somalia is to help the African Union Mission there (AMISOM) reach its authorized full strength of 8,000 troops and police personnel, and give Somali security institutions the capacity to create a level of security to enable the Djibouti peace process.

The UN Security Council has yet to decide whether to deploy a multidimensional UN peacekeeping operation that would take over from AMISOM, and "there remains uncertainty about whether peacekeeping is the right tool to support the political process in Somalia," he wrote.

He said he will put forth by next month recommendations on developing the mandate for a UN force, including assisting the flow of humanitarian aid, monitoring a ceasefire and assisting "in supporting the effective re-establishment and training of inclusive Somali security forces, including military, police and judiciary," as requested by Council resolution 1863.

The "follow-on" UN force is subject, however, to a further decision of the Council, to be taken by 1 June 2009, according to that resolution.
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