Somalia - [DHA: 1-30 September 1996
Somalia - [DHA: 1-30 September 1996
SOMALIA
Humanitarian Situation Report
1-30 September 1996
THIS REPORT HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE
UN HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR AND
RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOMALIA IN NAIROBI
HIGHLIGHTS
Aid Agencies suspend non-vital operations in Mogadishu as
of 3 October in an act of solidarity against the kidnaping
and wounding of a staff member from the Life and Peace
Institute.
Access to food for the most vulnerable improves in August
and September after the arrival of local grains on the
market.
Australian pilot released on 3 October after being detained
for four months.
Mayor of Hargeisa to receive international award for
achievements in urban planning.
Agencies in the Northeast prepare for the return of some
800 Somalis from Yemen.
SECURITY-POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
Mogadishu-South Central Regions
Mogadishu remained tense throughout the period. An increase
in kidnaping (and attempted kidnapings), assassinations,
looting, and general banditry was noted during the period.
On 18 September, one USAID international staff member was
kidnaped while on missions in North Mogadishu, but was
released unharmed the following day. Reasons behind the
incident are still under investigation. On 19 September,
one local staff member working with the Swedish
organisation the Life and Peace Institute was kidnaped from
North Mogadishu. He was wounded in the incident, and his
physical condition has been reported as serious, although
his exact location is at present unknown. The SACB
Executive Committee condemned the abduction on 20
September, and on 30 September recommended the closure of
activities in Mogadishu from 2 October unless he was
released. As of 3 October, programmes of aid agencies were
reported closed, with the exception of Therapeutic Feeding
Centres.
An UN mission led by the Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinator Mr. Dominik Langenbacher and including the
UNICEF Representative for Somalia visited South Mogadishu
on 1 September and met with Mr. Hussein Aidid. Apart from
being the first official visit of an UN Agency delegation
to meet with the new Aidid administration, discussions
included some of the outstanding issues pending with the
administration before the resumption of UN non-emergency
and the return of UN international staff could be
conceived. These issues include the resolution of threats
and incidents of kidnaping against UNICEF and WHO
international and national staff, looting of WHO supplies,
and looting of UN supplies and assets in Baidoa one year
ago. One day later in South Mogadishu, a WHO local staff
member was kidnaped from his residence and remained in
custody until 6 September after family members paid USD
2,000 in ransom money.
Although no major battles were reported during the period,
there were a number of intermittent skirmishes. On 11
September, fighting was reported in Afgoye between two
militia groups of the Hussein Aidid administration, over
collection of taxes. In the Bermuda area on 21 September,
fighting was reported apparently related to the hijacking
of vehicles. Exchange of gunfire and heavier artillery was
reported on 21 and 24 September between the militia of
Osman Atto and Hussein Aidid. During the skirmishes, one
mortar shell landed in an IDP camp in South Mogadishu
resulting in the death of seven people and eight others
wounded. Also, there were increased roadblocks and closure
of roads linking Medina to South Mogadishu were closed.
Eyewitnesses in the area reported an almost daily incidence
of bandits (not necessarily allied to any one group)
looting food and other supplies from the Medina markets.
The local press also noted the grim account of the
assassination of Osman Atto's spokesman on 22 September in
his home in South Mogadishu by unidentified gunmen.
In Merka, a committee including members of the Hussein
Aidid administration announced the official reopening of El
Ahmed airstrips on 1 October. They expressed in their
statement the hope of the return of international aid
agencies to the Merka area.
According to local press reports on 3 September, militia
from the Mudulod clan attacked Macashka Adayga village,
located between Balad and Jowhar towns. Otherwise, Jowhar
town and the Middle Shabelle region have been quiet during
the period.
In an attempt to improve overall security in North
Mogadishu, the Sharia court issued a statement on 9
September prohibiting the carrying of all weapons across
the green line into North Mogadishu, according to local
press reports.
Ali Mahdi traveled out of Mogadishu during the period,
meeting with the presidents of Djibouti and Yemen, the
Secretary-General of the Arab League, as well as prominent
Somali political figures, including Osman Atto. The Arab
League expressed support to convene a reconciliation
conference in Sana'a, Yemen. Both this invitation and the
visit of Ali Mahdi were criticized openly by the Hussein
Aidid administration.
Bay-Gedo-Southwest Regions
The situation in Bay and Bakool regions remains tense.
According to local press reports, the militia of Hussein
Aidid and the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) have been
confronting each other on a number of occasions in the Bay
and Hoddur districts. A mine explosion was reported to have
blown up a truck between Wajid and Hoddur, Bakool region
during the third week of September, injuring four persons.
In another incident, a car was ambushed on the road between
Burhakaba and Baidoa (Mogadishu road) where two persons
were killed.
An Australian pilot Justin Fraser was released and brought
to Nairobi on 3 October (as this report was going to
press), after being detained in Baidoa by militia loyal to
the Aidid administration(s) for four months. Mr. Fraser was
taken into custody on 25 May following an emergency landing
in Baidoa while returning from the delivery of khat to
Belet Weyne.
Tension remains high in the Gedo region along the Ethiopian
and Kenyan borders following last month's attack by
Ethiopian forces directed at Al-Itahad groups inside
Somalia. On September 25, fighting was reported in Dolo
town between members of the SNF faction and supporters of
the Al-Itahad group, SNF Deputy chairman, Col. Abdi Nur,
was reported killed during the fighting. During the
conflict, the bridge linking the Ethiopian side to the
Somali side of the town was destroyed, the number of
casualties has not been reported. On 29 September,
Al-Itahad militia crossed into Kenya and kidnaped one of
two district commissioners of the Belet Hawa district, Mr.
Haji Yusuf, injuring two Kenyan soldiers during the
incident. Mr. Yusuf was apparently taken to Luuq for
questioning in connection with last month's attack.
Kismayo-Juba Valley-Southern Regions
A UN fact-finding mission led by the Resident and
Humanitarian Coordinator and including the UNICEF
Representative for Somalia visited Kismayo on 31 August and
met with Gen. Morgan, Col. Ahmed Hashi and the Kismayo
council of elders. UN operations in Kismayo and the Juba
valley remain at the emergency level only pending the
resolution of two outstanding security issues: the restored
safety of the Kismayo airport following the removal of khat
flights to a second airstrip (Madhamato) and the
appointment of a single focal point for security matters to
act as a liaison between Kismayo authorities and UN staff
on all matters related to security of UN operations in the
region. On 24 September, the local authorities in Kismayo
officially opened the Madhamato airstrip to be used by
aircraft transporting khat, and the first khat flight
landed there on 25 September. However, there was increased
tension from the militia at Kismayo Airport, resulting in
the non-landing of the UNICEF emergency flight to Kismayo
on 25 and 26 September. Security officers are presently in
Kismayo in negotiation with local authorities.
On 1 September in Sakow town, Middle Juba, an
international staff member of Swedish Church Relief was
wounded in the SCR compound by unidentified gunmen. Four
staff members of SCR and World Vision were evacuated from
the town the next day.
The looting of vehicles and incidents at checkpoints in
the Juba valley continues to plague the area. On 9
September, in the vicinity of Jilib town, UNICEF local
staffs were harassed by SNA militia. On 24 September,
fighting was reported at a checkpoint between members of
the two SNA factions (Aidid and Atto) resulting in the
death of three persons.
During the third week of September, Gen. Morgan and the
council of elders restructured the district council and
nominated a new district commissioner. The restructuring
created some tension in the town, as some elders were
against the nomination.
Central Regions
On 12 September, local press reported that elders from
the Murusade and Abgaal clans reached a peace agreement
in the village of Shadoor, Galgadud region. Fighting
between the two clans over the past two years has claimed
the lives of over 300 persons, according to the report.
Bossaso-Northeast Regions
Although the Northeast regions remained calm in general,
another disturbing incident involving the NGO AICF-USA
occurred during the period. On 10 September, the AICF-USA
office in Gardo was looted by one of its own guards and
driver. AICF-USA international staffs were threatened but
unharmed during the looting. Items lost are valued at
approximately USD 25,000, and AICF-USA has suspended
their programmes pending resolution of the issue.
Militia prevented an UNCTAD team from entering the port
grounds in Bossaso on 18 September, apparently in
connection with recent changes in customs tax
administration at the port. The misunderstanding was
later resolved by local authorities. Later in the month,
however, the port was closed for two days to sort out
similar problems.
During the first week of September, the manifestation of
the newly formed Mudug Regional Council and Legislative
Assembly was circulated to local political and
administrative organisations as well as the international
community. Ali Mohammed Ahmed was nominated the Mudug
Regional Governor, while Osman Mohammed Mohamud and
Sheikh Abdullahi Abdurahman were nominated as first and
second vice-governors respectively. The Regional Assembly
includes 51 members, with a 5-member standing committee.
A delegation from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates
visited Bari region during the second week of September
to discuss bilateral agreements with the Regional Council
to fund some of their proposed projects in the region.
Hargeisa-Northwest Regions
The upcoming elections due in October-November have led
to increased tension in the Northwest during the period.
On 29 August, intra-clan fighting within the Aw-Bakale
clan was reported in Sheik, and other movements of an
opposition militia were reported around Hargeisa during
the first week of September. On 1 September, a COOPI
driver was shot and killed outside Berbera, while
assisting in vaccination activities in rural Berbera. A
hand grenade was thrown into the open-air Borama theater
on 5 September during the performance of a play, but no
casualties were reported. Tension remains high in the Las
Anod district following the Boame conference between
members of the Dhulbahante families. During the meeting
which concluded on 2 September, the community announced
the establishment of an autonomous government and a
15-member administrative committee, this announcement was
met with opposition from some communities in the Sool
region. Local press reported on 14 September that the
district commissioner of Zeila was attacked by armed
bandits in the district. The bandits fled following the
intervention of the administration s army.
Following on last month's turnover of some 135 members of
the opposition militia from the Salaaxley community, 85
members of the Salaaxley community, including elders,
religious leaders and intellectuals met members of the
Northwest council of elders on 18 September, and declared
their support for the incumbent administration.
As of 27 September, the council of elders had agreed on a
budget to cover the cost of the upcoming national
conference to decide on the future of the Northwest
administration, but the venue and participation remain
disputed.
Following rapid increases and fluctuations in 1995 and
early 1996, the exchange rate of the Somaliland shilling
has remained stable for the last two months, at 2,200
shillings to the dollar.
Other News the UN Security Council Committee responsible
for following adherence of governments to the arms
embargo on Somalia met on 11 September and issued a
further appeal to governments, international and national
organisations, as well as individuals to provide
information about any violations of the embargo directly
to the government or body accused, with notification to
the Chairman of the committee (presently the Permanent
Representative of the Republic of Korea.) The present
arms embargo on Somalia has been in effect since 23
January 1992.
HUMANITARIAN, REHABILITATION, AND DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
EMERGENCY HIGHLIGHTS
Preparations to combat cholera
Humanitarian agencies involved in combating the 1996
cholera outbreak in Somalia met on 5 September to review
activities undertaken and to prepare a plan of action for
the next possible cholera outbreak, expected as early as
November 1996. Cholera is now endemic in Somalia.
Flooding in Middle Juba
A FEWS report indicates that since May 1996 in the Jamame
district of Middle Juba, 66 percent of the cropland has
been affected by flooding, while 33 percent has been
affected in Jilib district, 16 percent in Buale district
and 8 percent in Sacow district. By 11 September, local
press reported that near Jamame town, river dykes have
collapsed, which could lead to further flooding of
agricultural land in the area. In response, UNICEF
distributed 6,000 sand bags to affected villages in the
area. ICRC has concluded the rehabilitation of a dyke
destroyed by recent flooding in Osbole village
Increases in demand at Feeding centres
Information from UNICEF's 15 supplementary feeding
centres in Mogadishu indicated a gradual increase in the
number of new children beneficiaries with acute
malnutrition in August and September. There is also an
increase in demand for supplementary food. In Kismayo, a
total of 3,605 persons are receiving daily food rations
through five UNICEF-run feeding centres.
REFUGEES-RETURNEES HIGHLIGHTS
Return of Bantu IDPs Dependent on Security in Kismayo
Some newly-displaced people from the Juba Valley have
started to return to their home communities. Pending the
revolvement of security issues with the Kismayo
authorities, the UN Agencies have also been undertaking
plans for the voluntary return of 920 internally
displaced Bantu families from eight Kismayo IDP camps to
the Jamame district in the Juba valley. As of 27
September, security conditions in the Juba Valley have
postponed the operation.
Closure of Kenyan Coast Refugee Camps
According to press reports in August, the Kenyan Minister
for Home Affairs and National Heritage, Mr. Francis
Lotodo, has given UNHCR a deadline of 31 December to
close all of the refugee camps in the Coast Province of
Kenya. The three refugee camps (Hatimy, Swaleh Nguru, and
Jomvu) presently host approximately 16,800 refugees, of
which approximately 90 percent are of Somali origin. This
number has been greatly reduced over the last year
through voluntary repatriation and relocation, in 1995
there were 80,000 refugees in the Coast Province. UNHCR
expects that a large portion of the remaining refugee
will be relocated to the Dadab camp in northern Kenya.
Returnees from Yemen Expected in Bossaso
UNHCR is preparing for the repatriation of 800 Somali
refugees from Yemen to the Bosasso area. WFP has agreed
to provide 3-month food packages to these returnees upon
their arrival in Bosasso.
Back to School in Djibouti
The schools for Somali refugee children run by UNHCR and
UNESCO in Djibouti reopened on 1 September, with 1,444
students (about 20.9 percent of school-aged children in
the camps, a higher attendance ratio than in Somalia at
present). The three camps host a total of 33,400 refugees
at present.
REHABILITATION HIGHLIGHTS
Teacher Training in Hargeisa and other areas of the
Northwest
As a result of extensive surveys undertaken in the
education sector over the last year by UNESCO, UNICEF,
UNDOS and their partners, one of the priority needs which
was observed was the overall need for improvement in the
quality of schooling, particularly in children's
learning. One of the tried and tested methods to improve
quality has been through a well-designed teacher training
programmes, under the practice of training of trainers.
Following the master trainer's workshop held in June and
July this year, a two-week regional trainers workshop was
held in Hargeisa from 14 to 29 September. The workshop,
sponsored by UNICEF, UNESCO and the Ministry of
Education, Youth and Sports (MOEYS), trained 24 regional
trainers from the six regions of the Northwest. This
workshop gave the trainers the opportunity to acquaint
themselves with the manual prepared during the June
master's workshop. At the conclusion of the training, the
MOEYS, with UNICEF and UNESCO technical and financial
assistance, aims to train approximately 300 primary
school teachers in the zone. In Las Anod and Togdheer
regions, national UNESCO staff and MOEYS staff conducted
five-day workshops for Somali and Math Grades one and two
for over 100 teachers. As Togdheer is an area of Somalia
where a number of land mines still exist, the teacher
training workshop also featured a Mine Awareness
programme with songs and a play demonstrating their
dangers.
Assistance in Rice Production for the Jowhar Area
In Middle Shabelle, the UNDP-UNV Integrated Agricultural
and Area Development Project has produced detailed
pamphlets on rice production. One-thousand of these is
now being printed in Somali for distribution in Jowhar
and the surrounding areas, Somalia's largest rice
production region. This information will also be
published in a larger manual on appropriate extension
strategies for Somalia.
GOVERNANCE HIGHLIGHTS
Progress in Urban Planning and Management of Hargeisa
Attracts International Attention
In October, the mayor of Hargeisa, Mr. Mohamed Hashi will
be one of six recipients in the world to receive an award
as part of the UN Habitat's Scroll of Honor programme.
His hard work, cooperation, and commitment to improving
the capacity of his planning unit have translated in a
significant increase in revenue for urban improvement.
Over the past year, he has been working together with the
UNDP-UNCHS (Habitat) project Urban Settlements and
Management Programme. The key to the success of this
programme has been the commitment of the local
municipality in utilizing their own human and
locally-generated financial resources coupled with a high
sense of commitment and integrity on the part of the
municipal staff. Activities under the programme are
designed to support, and where necessary supplement,
local initiatives and priorities. In the urban planning
and mapping until, the office has been fully equipped for
a staff of six, with drawing, printing and surveying
equipment. The Planning Division has been reactivated
with the support of an external urban and development
planning expert. A full range of maps have been completed
of Hargeisa from aerial photographs. These will be
utilized for urban planning, planning permanent
accommodation for returnees, land registration and
management of infrastructure, utilities and services.
Planning has also commenced for new neighborhoods for
returnees. In the Water Department, a UNV Water Engineer
has provided support to help produce, as part of the
immediate measures action plan, surveys, designs and
estimates for well-field flood protection, pumping mains
rehabilitation, chlorination of the distribution system,
and workshop and staff house rehabilitation. An appraisal
of existing financial and accounting systems and
recommendations for streamlining the process and staffing
levels of the Revenue and Finance Division has been
completed. For the next phase of the project, the unit
will design and implement an Urban Policy Framework,
which will guide and regulate city growth, development,
and management. The Habitat project also plans initial
expansion to Berbera and Bossaso, pending receipt of
donor funds. The project in the last quarter of 1996 and
in 1997 will also be working closely with UNHCR to
provide technical support to plan and implement the
accommodation and reintegration of returnees in Northern
Somalia.
OTHER NEWS
Food Security Assessment Unit 1996 Gu Harvest 47 percent
higher than 1995
From 9-28 August the final phase of the 1996 Gu crop
production survey undertaken by WFP's Food Security
Assessment Unit was completed. Overall cereal production
is estimated at 242,000 MTs. Although the findings were
that overall combined cereal productions remain lower
than prewar averages by 37 percent, the production was
47.7 percent higher than the 1995 Gu season. Cereal
production was low in the Lower Juba, Middle Juba, and
Gedo regions, but exceptionally high in Bay and in the
northwest regions. In the Bay region, for the first time,
maize has now become the significant crop, although
sorghum production alone in the Bay region increased by
278 percent over last year, due mostly to relatively low
incidents of pests and abundant rains. During the
agricultural year, farmers in the Northwest produced
three times more food compared to the 1994-5 agricultural
year. In the Lower and Middle Juba regions, however,
severe floods and drought in some areas caused heavy crop
losses, in some cases communities planted three times
without success. The Gu harvest survey was performed with
the assistance of nine Somali enumerators who covered 27
districts and 108 villages. The team randomly selected
and interviewed 432 farmers within the nine major
agricultural regions of Somalia. The 1996 Gu evaluation
exercise was fully financed under the WFP-USAID Joint
Monetization Programme for Somalia.
The Worst is Over
A USAID-FEWS report (a) which analyzes the availability
and access to food staples in South Mogadishu through
market prices from January to June 1996 estimated that
the most vulnerable period in terms of food availability
for residents may now be over. The report gives the
period of April-June 1996 as the most vulnerable, as this
was the period when there was the heaviest amount of
fighting. By August, if was confirmed that market prices
decreased significantly following the arrival of the Gu
harvest, which should, in turn, improve the accessibility
of the lowest income groups to food in Mogadishu.
(a) USAID-FEWS. Availability and Access to Food Staples
in South Mogadishu: A Look at Market Prices during the
Pre-Harvest Period, Gu 1996, 9 September, 1996.
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
ADRAAdventist Disaster Relief Association
ACFAction Contre la Faim
ARCAmerican Refugee Committee
CEFAComitato Europeo per la Formazione Agraria
CHWCommunity Health Worker
CISPComitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli
COSVCoordinating Committee of the Organization for
Voluntary Service
CSBCorn Soya Blend
DHADepartment of Humanitarian Affairs (UN)
DSMDried Skim Milk
ECHOEuropean Community Humanitarian Office
EPIExpanded Programme of Immunization
EUEuropean Community
FAOFood and Agriculture Organisation (UN)
FEWSFamine Early Warning System (USAID)
FSAUFood Security Assessment Unit
GTZDeutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit
HabitatUnited Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS)
IASInternational Aid Sweden
IASCInter-Agency Standing Committee
ICAOInternational Civil Aviation Organization
ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross
IDPInternal-displaced person
IDRBInternational Development and Relief Board
IFDAInternational Fund for Agricultural Development
IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies
IGADD Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and
Development
IMCInternational Medical Corps
IOMInternational Organization for Migration
JHAJoint Health Authority (Mogadishu)
MCHMaternal and Child Health
MSFM,decins Sans FrontiSres
MtsMetric tonnes
NGONon-Government Organization
OAUOrganization of African Unity
OPDOut-patient dispensary
ORSOral Rehydration Salts
PHCPrimary Health Care
SACBSomalia Aid Coordination Body
SCFSave the Children Fund
SCRSwedish Church Relief
SIJUSomali Independent Journalists Union
SNASomali National Alliance
SRCSSomali Red Crescent Society
SSASomali Salvation Alliance
TBATraditional Birth Attendant
UNCTUnited Nations Coordination Team
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNCUUnited Nations Coordination Unit
UNDOS United Nations Development Office for Somalia
UNDPUnited Nations Development Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
UNFPA United Nations Fund for Population Activities
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services
UNOSOM United Nations Operation in Somalia
UNPOS United Nations Political Office for Somalia
UNVUnited Nations Volunteers
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USCUnited Somali Congress
WESWater and Environmental Sanitation
WFPWorld Food Programme
WHOWorld Health Organization
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UN HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR AND RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE
FOR SOMALIA
UNDP, NAIROBI
Mr. Dominik Lagenbacher
Tel.: (254 2) 226.408 - 226.378
Fax: (254 2) 217.483
COMPLEX EMERGENCY DIVISION (CED)- DHA, NEW YORK
Ms. Nancee Oku Bright
Tel.: (1 212) 963.2198
Fax: (1 212) 963.1388
INTER-AGENCY SUPPORT BRANCH (IASB)- DHA, GENEVA
Ms. Deborah Saidy
Ms. Maria Keating
Tel.: (41 22) 788.6384 - 788.7020
Fax: (41 22) 788.6386
PRESS TO CONTACT - DHA-GENEVA:
Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo
Tel.: (41 22) 917.2856
Fax: (41 22) 917.0023
Telex: 414242 DHA CH
E-Mail: dhagva@dha.unicc.org