OCHA Situation Report
Somalia
19 January 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Main Developments

Following a UN multi-agency mission to Mogadishu on 16 January, the 
second in a week, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia has stressed 
that the international aid community must take advantage of the momentum 
now existing in Somalia to re-engage at the earliest opportunity in 
south/central and, particularly, in Mogadishu. After consultations with 
TFG authorities and civil society in Mogadishu, priority areas of 
intervention have been identified ? support for law and order/security, 
education, livelihood support, relocation of and assistance to IDPs, and 
institutional capacity building. There is a need to begin high-impact 
projects in these areas quickly, in order to make immediate visible 
changes in peoples' lives and to support stabilization and prevent any 
power vacuum from spreading.

As of 18 January, 2007, a total of 62 suspected human cases of RVF 
(including 32 deaths) have been reported from southern Somalia. Three 
samples from suspected human cases flown to Kenya from Lower Juba over 
the last week tested negative by the CDC KEMRI lab. Efforts are now 
being made to collect new samples as well as to increase ongoing health 
education activities. Training of medical officers in the field is being 
conducted to increase surveillance coverage and to enhance case 
management, prevention and control capacity. Plans to field a medical 
mission to Kismayo to examine patients and take blood samples for 
analysis have so far been unsuccessful due to a lack of assurance for 
the safe passage of the team.

Displacement

There have been reports of Somali refugees, mainly from Bay and Bakool 
regions, having crossed into Ethiopia near the towns of Ferfer, 
Mustahil, and Kelafo. While numbers have not yet been confirmed, current 
estimates are of approximately 200 families at Ferfer, 60 families at 
Mustahil and 714 families at Kelafo. The refugees are said to be mainly 
women, children and elderly, traveling without animals. Cholera is 
reportedly present in the area and there is a need of medicine, as well 
as food and shelter. Many of the refugees have settled among the local 
population and are receiving some assistance from them, as well as 
obtaining casual work in the villages. There are no international 
agencies present in the area and it is not clear to what extent the 
local authorities are willing to assist.

Access and Response

Access to Jowhar (Middle Shabelle) and Kismayo (Lower Juba) continues to 
be seriously hampered. At Jowhar airstrip, local security remains 
inadequate for the airstrip to be operational, while in Kismayo, ongoing 
military operations have kept the airstrip off limits for humanitarian 
flights. In Lower Juba, some of the greatest humanitarian needs are 
concentrated; flood response in the region was only just commencing when 
conflict broke out, and flood-affected people in the region have yet to 
receive adequate emergency assistance. Meanwhile, Baidoa airstrip is now 
open for UN cargo and passengers. Smaller aircraft (e.g. caravan) are 
able to land at Conoko (Garowe, Puntland), and UNCAS is resuming 
passenger flights as of tomorrow. Minor repairs are taking place at 
Conoko to allow for larger aircraft to land.

Assessments of IDP settlements in Galkayo have been largely completed 
and response is ongoing. Two flights arrived in Galkayo this week 
containing UNICEF NFIs and one more flight is expected. Islamic Relief 
is hiring staff, to be trained by UNHCR, to conduct shelter to shelter 
verifications, gather information and set up mechanisms for the 
distribution of NFIs.

Overland border crossing between Kenya and Somalia remains seriously 
problematic. Humanitarian trucks carrying food and NFIs for Dhobley and 
Afmadow have been able to cross the border at Liboi over the last few 
days. However, both El Wak and Mandera remain closed, with approximately 
40 trucks now stuck on the Somali side of the border unable to move back 
into Kenya to collect food for Gedo. At Mandera, two trucks carrying 
fuel bound for Wajid for internal humanitarian flights in Somalia are 
unable to cross. This is of concern, as it is expected that the 
remaining jet fuel in Wajid will run out within the next two days. 
Efforts to get the restriction eased to enable humanitarian convoys to 
cross the border have until now been unsuccessful.

Although overland transport has broadly resumed in many areas, the 
current lack of security in certain parts of south/central Somalia is 
causing concern amongst transporters, particularly those attempting to 
pass through areas in which there is a power vacuum and/or ongoing 
conflict.

Reports detailing response activities by cluster (Who does What Where) 
are available on the OCHA website at 
http://ochaonline2.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=5066

For further information, contact:

Molly McCloskey (mob: +254 727 659 100) or Amanda di Lorenzo
(mob: +254 734 210 102)
Office tel: +254 (20) 375 4150-5
mccloskeym@un.org, dilorenzoa@un.org

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