UN voices concern over relief access amid military assault in Somalia

UN voices concern over relief access amid military assault in Somalia

By Peter Mutai

NAIROBI (Xinhua) — The UN humanitarian agency on Thursday expressed concern over the access to humanitarian supplies in parts of southern and central Somalia amid ongoing military offensive by the Africa Union peacekeepers and Somali armed forces.

In a statement, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said access to relief supplies remains a major challenge due to the volatile security situation.

“Humanitarian partners are working to determine urgent needs, mapping supplies in the various hubs and how to best respond,” OCHA said in a statement.

“The operation is expected to directly affect scores of districts and regions in southern and central Somalia,” it said as the military offensive to kick out the Al-Shabaab militants intensified this month.

According to OCHA, it hoped that if the military operation leads to the establishment of proper administrative structures in the newly controlled areas, it may provide an opportunity for humanitarian organizations to have a safe and predictable access to people in need.

The AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops working jointly with the Somali National Army (SNA) have liberated several towns from Al-Shabaab in western Somalia.

These efforts, the forces said, will help spread security and stability to all the Somali people, and accelerate the return of government institutions and services.

The military operation started in March when Ethiopian troops took control of towns in southern Somalia as well as Bakool regional capital Hudur.

According to the District Commissioner of Xudur and a local NGO, about 700 families were moving behind SNA/AMISOM convoys as they made their way from Ceel Barde to Xudur.

It is reported that many of these families were original inhabitants of Xudur, who fled prior to the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s withdrawal from Xudur in March 2013, and took the current offensive as an opportunity to return.

OCHA said the newly displaced people in Baidoa started receiving shelter and household items on March on Tuesday, with 650 families receiving supplies, according to the Shelter Cluster focal point in Baidoa.

Another 350 household kits are to be distributed by Thursday. Shelter, water, food and health services remain the immediate needs for the displaced in Baidoa and those fleeing towns in Bakool region to surrounding villages, as well as those returning to liberated towns in Bakool, according to humanitarian partners, it said.

“All humanitarian assistance is based on assessed needs and is guided by the humanitarian principles of: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence,” OCHA said.

OCHA said civilians have continued to move out of the considered hotspots but could not confirm the numbers. Al-Shabaab militants are reportedly mobilizing communities within their strongholds against the military operation.

“It is estimated that 3 million people live in the districts and regions, which may be directly affected by the military operation,” OCHA said.

“While the situation remains fluid, an estimated 6,000 people have arrived in Baidoa in Bay region, the main recipient location so far.”

Relief agencies had warned of depressed harvest in bread baskets of central and southern Somalia in November last year. Climatic shocks and insecurity affected food production in the Shabelle and other high potential regions.

Top UN officials had warned that Somalia could experience humanitarian crises of mammoth proportion if the international community fails to respond promptly to an earlier appeal for intervention.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Philippe Lazzarini, said evidence on the ground points to a fragile situation in the central and southern parts of Somalia as drought and mass displacement of civilians lurk in the shadows.

Currently, 2.9 million people are in need of food assistance in Somalia. One million people require emergency assistance. The number of severely malnourished children has hit 200,000 and 50 percent of them risk death, Lazzarini said in late February.

OCHA has appealed for 933 million U.S. dollars from the international community in 2014 to respond to unfolding humanitarian crises in Somalia.

Lazzarini regretted that response to the funding appeal has been slow and could undermine emergency response to hunger, disease and malnutrition stalking large swathe of Somalia.

Source: Xinhua

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