OCHA Situation Report
Somalia Humanitarian Update
May 2005
10 June 2005


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Highlights
Political

Disagreements on the eventual relocation of the Somalia Government into 
the country continued throughout the month. While the President and his 
supporters voted for Jowhar and Bai-doa, another group continued efforts 
to pacify Mogadishu in a bid to have the Government relocate to the 
capital.

Access/Security

Insecurity in various parts of the country continued to hamper access to 
affected populations particularly in the South Central Zone. In Gedo 
region, approximately 15,000 IDPs remain inaccessible to humanitarian 
assistance due to insecurity.

Floods:

Heavy rainfall in Somalia and it's rs catchments resulted in localized 
flooding along the Juba abd Shabelle rivers. Farmlands in the south? 
central zone ere inundated and infrastructure destroyed in northeast 
Somalia. The long rains season is expected to end in mid-June.

Somalia Government continues to be divided

Divisions within Transitional Federal Government on matters related to 
relocation inside Somalia and the deployment of the AU/IGAD troops 
continued this month.

This resulted in increased tensions in Baidoa, one of the towns selected 
for relocation.  Limited fighting was reported which did not lead to any 
significant changes.

Fifty Cabinet Ministers restated their position on 9 May in support of 
the relocation of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to Baidoa 
and Jowhar until Mogadishu is secured.  They also reiterated their 
support for involvement of frontline states in the African Union Peace 
Support Mission to be sent to Somalia.

On 11 May, 145 out of 152 MPs who attended a parliamentary meeting in 
Nairobi voted for a temporary relocation of the TFG to Baidoa and 
Jowhar, and deployment of AU Peace Support Mission to Somalia.

The Speaker who was not present together with about 100 parliamentarians 
dismissed the outcome claiming the quorum rule was not respected.

Meanwhile leaders from the Council of Ministers and Council of 
Parliamentarians continued to move about 1,000 militias from Mogadishu 
to military camps in Hilweyne and Lanta Buro, some 30 and 50 km north 
and west of the capital respectively.  The councils decided to start 
clearing about 50 road blocks managed by freelance militia in Mogadishu. 
By the end of May, about 108 members of parliament were in Mogadishu .

President Abdullahi Yusuf attended an African Union session in Addis 
Ababa on 12 May during which an agreement was reached that troops from 
Uganda and Sudan would be deployed in a peace support mission. Two days 
later the AU Security Council endorsed a decision to send a peace 
support mission to Somalia.

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