ACT Alert: Kenya/Somalia border
Elisabeth Gouel
Website: http://www.act-intl.org
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Alert
Dadaab Kenya/Somalia border 1/07
Kenya/Somalia Border
Geneva, January 3, 2007
After the intervention of the Ethiopian troops, the situation in Somalia continues to be very tense as the Islamic Courts Union refused a government offer for amnesty. The ICU fled their last stronghold in the southern port city of Kismayu on Monday and has announced that they will continue to resist the Ethiopian troops. ACT Members, the Lutheran World Federation/World Service (LWF/DWS) programs in the Horn of Africa have been following the situation in Somalia and preparing contingency plans for a further deterioration of the situation.
In Kenya a surge of Somalis streamed into Kenya due to escalation of violence in Somalia during the last weeks. The flow of refugees crossing the border increased from an average of 300 to 400 individuals a day, to more than 1,000 a day over the past few weeks. The refugees are arriving at Dadaab, located in the Garissa district in northeastern Kenya, where there are already three refugee camps. Furthermore, the unusually heavy November rains flooded and destroyed shelters and latrines in the camps.
LWF/DWS program in Kenya , under the lead of UNHCR and in coordination with the ACT Forum in Kenya, is sending an assessment mission to Dadaab. The mission will arrive to Dadaab on January 11th and its purpose will be to identify the existing gaps in the provision of basic services to the current caseload in Dadaab as well as the capacity to deal effectively with a large scale influx.
In Ethiopia, LWF/DWS Eithiopia program is in discussions with the ACT forum, and stand ready to assist the EECMY and the ecumenical partners should there be a need to do so and extra capacity is needed.
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ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
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