SOMALIA: Hundreds of thousands need urgent aid, says government
Source: IRIN
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
NAIROBI, 21 September 2007 (IRIN) - Somalia's transitional federal government has
appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance for hundreds of thousands of people affected by drought, floods and displacement. "We need urgent assistance if we are to avert an impending
humanitarian crisis," Information Minister Madobe Nuunow said on 20 September. "The government will take any step necessary to support those who come to help our people." He called on
international relief agencies to "move quickly before it is too late". "We need help now," he added. The majority of those affected were in southern and central regions, he said,
adding: "Some regions are experiencing drought, while others have been flooded." In the south, the Middle and Lower Shabelle regions and the Middle and Lower Jubas, Bay and Bakol are
hosting thousands of displaced while also suffering the effects of drought and floods, he said. "Mogadishu [the capital] has a lot of people who have fled their homes and are currently in
makeshift camps with very little shelter, food or health facilities," said Nuunow. The situation of internally displaced persons was most problematic. "They are the ones who need greatest
attention," the minister said. "The 'Deyr' [short rains] is upon us and most of them don't have shelter, enough food or medical care." Displaced by violence Thousands of people
continue to be displaced by violence in Mogadishu between Ethiopian-backed transitional government forces and insurgents, according to civil society groups. Nuunow said that although there were
security problems in Mogadishu, "it was not directed against international agencies and therefore should not be used as an excuse not to help." According to the August 2007 report of the
UN Food and Agricultural Organization's Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU), the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased 50 percent, from 1 to 1.5 million. "Those are the figures generally accepted by the humanitarian community," Peter Goossens, the UN World Food Programme country director, said. According to FSAU, 295,000 require life-saving
interventions, and 490,000 face an acute food security and livelihood crisis requiring livelihood support. In addition, there are 325,000 people who are newly displaced from Mogadishu who need both
life- and livelihood-saving interventions, said the report. ah/cb© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: <a
href="http://www.IRINnews.org">http://www.IRINnews.org</a>
