Possible exodus of thousands of Somalis fleeing fight
Somalia-UN, Politics, 12/30/2006

Following a temporary suspension caused by a recent flare up of violence in Somalia, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday announced a resumption of air aid deliveries to the country, where it is struggling to feed half a million people affected by floods.

The UN Common Air Services (UNCAS) which is managed by WFP, resumed humanitarian flights into Somalia today with a plane leaving Nairobi for Hargeisa in northern Somalia carrying humanitarian workers and cargo.

Another flight is planned for Saturday, with an aircraft scheduled to go from Nairobi to the southern Somali town of Wajid.

These flights follow the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) giving permission for humanitarian flights to resume after declaring Somalia's land, air and sea borders closed on 25 December, WFP said in a news release.

Despite the fighting between the TFG and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in Somalia – where Ethiopia has also admitted sending troops – the agency distributed an estimated 2,000 metric tons of food to 93,000 people affected by floods in Lower Shabelle and Middle and Lower Juba regions, largely thanks to improved access by land.

A WFP-chartered ship loaded with 4,500 metric tons of WFP food docked in Mogadishu port on 26 December and started discharging the same day.

On 27 December, WFP announced the suspension of its helicopter operation delivering humanitarian aid from the Somali port of Kismayo and both its air drop operation and passenger flights from Kenya into Somalia.

"WFP hopes to resume all its air operations using airdrops and helicopters in Somalia as soon as possible and is in contact with authorities on the ground in an attempt to achieve this," according to the news release.

More than 100 national staff in Somalia operating from 15 offices across the country are continuing to distribute food to victims of the floods and other vulnerable people.

The United Nations refugee agency is mobilizing staff and resources in preparation for a possible exodus of tens of thousands of people fleeing fighting in Somalia.

Although no large-scale refugee movements have yet been recorded in neighbouring countries, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is immediately positioning relief items in the region as well as trucks and emergency staff.

The agency is reinforcing its operational capacity in north-eastern Kenya and Ethiopia in response to the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, where thousands of people have been displaced by recent fighting between Ethiopian forces aligned with the Somali Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic Courts Union.

Relief items, including plastic sheets and jerry cans for up to 50,000 people, are being sent from UNHCR regional warehouses and positioned along the Somali border. At the same time, the agency's fleet of vehicles is being expanded with the deployment of 10 extra trucks.

Beyond the immediate pre-positioning of relief items, UNHCR will also increase its existing stockpiles in the region by purchasing enough supplies for a further 100,000 people, both refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

UNHCR emergency response teams are on standby, ready to be sent to the region from around the world, and staff on holiday have been recalled as agency offices in Kenya, Ethiopia and across the Gulf of Aden in Yemen closely monitor the situation for any increase in cross-border movements. So far, only small numbers of refugees have been crossing into both Kenya and Ethiopia.

Inside Somalia, thousands of people fleeing the conflict are reported to be in a desperate situation. UNHCR staff in Puntland, in the north-east, report some 3,000 IDPs who fled the fighting further south. The agency has also received reports of several thousand IDPs in the Bay, Hirann, Mudug, Juba, and Shabelle regions and is particularly concerned about reports of civilians, including children, being forcibly recruited to join the fighting.

On Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres expressed concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia and appealed to all sides to respect humanitarian principles and the rights of the civilian population.

Before the latest upsurge in fighting, more than 30,000 Somalis had already fled the conflict to north-east Kenya this year amid fears that the influx could climb to 80,000 by the end of 2006. The region already shelters some 160,000 Somalis who had fled earlier fighting and droughts.

Previous Stories:
  Upsurge in Somali fighting prompts concern   (12/23/2006)
  Egypt denies interference in Somalia's internal affairs   (11/18/2006)
  Abul Gheit: Egypt closely follows up Somali developments   (10/23/2006)

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