Somalia: War and drought push people to breaking point

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is extremely concerned about the difficult humanitarian situation in which the people of Somalia find themselves.

In recent years, Somalis have had to endure more than a rapid succession of natural disasters; they have also had to cope with an intensification of the long-running armed conflict in the country. Conditions in Somalia have worsened to their lowest point in many years, and the prospects for Somalis are among the very bleakest in the world.

Hundreds of thousands of families have been forced, by intense fighting in Mogadishu and elsewhere, to flee their homes and find temporary refuge in the areas surrounding Mogadishu and in those parts of central and southern Somalia that are comparatively safe.

In addition to the long, drawn-out armed conflict, poor harvests caused by two years of very limited rainfall have created immense suffering. Pastures have become barren in many places and herders are losing their animals. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network has predicted that seasonal rains will fail again this month, exacerbating shortages of water and food that are already acute.

Assistance for victims

"In Somalia, natural disasters and waves of fighting seem to follow one after the other,” said Pascal Hundt, the head of the ICRC’s delegation for Somalia. “And that has created the humanitarian crisis before us. People are being pushed to the very limits of their endurance. Living conditions for many families can only be described as shocking. A large proportion of displaced families is wholly dependent on external aid."

Since late January, the ICRC has been transporting 2.3 million litres of water by road every day to 470,000 people in more than 400 locations, in Mudug, northern Bakool, eastern Bay and Galgaduud.

In April, the ICRC distributed basic household items - tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen sets, jerrycans and clothing - to 19,000 displaced families (95,000 persons) in Bakool, Middle and Lower Juba, Kismayo and Bay.

Earlier this year, 49,000 persons received food aid in Mudug and parts of Nugaal and in southern Sool. Some of them had been displaced from their homes by the conflict in Las Anod; others were facing a situation of extreme food insecurity. In addition, 25,820 families received non-food aid in the Mudug and Galgadud regions, the El Dere area, Daynile (on the outskirts of Mogadishu), Medina (in Mogadishu) and the Middle Shabelle region.

Health care

“The ICRC is deeply concerned about the plight of civilians caught up in the fighting and calls on all warring parties to comply with international humanitarian law, and to take precautions while conducting military operations to safeguard the lives and dignity of civilians,” Mr Hundt added.

In Mogadishu, the Keysaney and Medina hospitals continue to treat dozens of people wounded by weapons every week, and surgeons are often required to perform operations round the clock. Since the beginning of 2008, the two hospitals have treated over 1,100 wounded, among them 253 women and children. In 2007, they provided treatment for a total of more than 4,000 wounded persons.

Since August 2007, an ICRC-backed team of surgeons from the Qatar Red Crescent Society has been working at the Keysaney hospital, which is managed by the Somali Red Crescent Society.

Many families displaced by the intense fighting in Mogadishu have found temporary refuge in nearby Afgooye and Daynile. They are living in makeshift shelters, far from medical facilities. The Somali Red Crescent, with assistance from the ICRC, has opened five temporary clinics in Afgooye and Daynile, which serve 150,000 persons. Supported by the ICRC, it also runs 25 clinics in central and southern Somalia, which serve 260,000 people. Since January, these clinics have provided almost 20,000 consultations.

The ICRC urges all parties to take every measure to ensure that the wounded and sick have access to medical facilities and that humanitarian workers, medical staff, hospitals and clinics are respected and protected.

For further information, please contact:
Pedram Yazdi, ICRC Somalia, tel: + 254 20 272 3963 or +254 722 518 142
Nicole Engelbrecht, ICRC Nairobi, tel: + 254 20 272 3963 or + 254 722 512 728
Anna Schaaf, ICRC Geneva, tel: + 41 22 730 2271 or + 41 79 217 3217

Source: Int'l Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)