U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network for Central and Eastern Africa

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HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN Weekly Round-up 13
25 November - 1 December 2000



CONTENTS:

SOMALIA: Libya reportedly in attempt to broker talks
SOMALIA: Budget and livestock agreement
SOMALIA: EU delegation visits Mogadishu
SOMALIA: Appeal emphasises Somalia's needs
SOMALIA: Cholera reportedly kills 35 in Adale 
SOMALIA: Southern areas hit by flooding
SUDAN: More government bombing raids
SUDAN: Bashir welcomes al-Mahdi's return
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: First land access route opened
ETHIOPIA: Mine awareness successful
ETHIOPIA: Feeding centre re-opened in Denan
ETHIOPIA: Patriarch attends US HIV/AIDS summit



SOMALIA: Libya reportedly in attempt to broker talks

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad, leader of the self-declared autonomous region of
Puntland, northeastern Somalia, has been invited to Libya. There has been
no confirmation of his arrival in Libya despite reports by local Somali
media that he had left by plane from Garoowe, Puntland. Diplomatic sources
told IRIN that the Libyan government would attempt to broker talks between
Abdullahi Yusuf and President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, who is currently
paying an official visit. Spokesman for the Somali government Idris Hasan
Diriye told the BBC on Wednesday that Abdiqasim was waiting for more
information from the Libyan government regarding the talks. 

This would be the third attempt to broker talks between the Puntland
leader and the new government. Faction leaders had twice been invited by
the President Ali Abdullah Salih of Yemen for talks, including an
inconclusive attempt this week, Somali political sources said. 

SOMALIA: Budget and livestock agreement

The presidents of Libya and Somalia have signed a trade agreement, which
includes a pledge from Libya to contribute to the new national Somali
budget. Spokesman for the Somali government Idris Hasan Diriye told the
BBC in an interview from Tripoli, Libya, that the interim government had
drawn up a US $470 million budget. Libya had pledged to meet a share of
the budget, he said. According to the spokesman, the Libyan government had
also promised to buy 120,000 goats and 20,000 camels from Somalia
annually, as well as fruits and vegetables. 

Humanitarian sources confirmed to IRIN that Libya had announced its
intention of purchasing 120,000 head of livestock, which would begin over
the next four months. The agreement was unprecedented, and would be a
boost for Somalia at a time when its regional livestock exports had been
arrested by a ban imposed by the Gulf states due to Rift Valley Fever,
said the source. The animals are likely to be transported by sea and air,
with part of the cargo consisting of chilled meat. 

SOMALIA: EU delegation visits Mogadishu

A delegation led by the European Union (EU) representative to East Africa,
Sigurd Illing, made a three day visit to the Somali capital, Mogadishu,
this week. Illing met the prime minister on Tuesday, and held talks with
the Speaker of parliament, Abdullah Derow Isaq, on Wednesday. The EU
delegation is on a tour of Somalia and the region, including Hargeysa, in
the self-declared state of Somaliland, and Djibouti. 

Diplomatic sources said UN security personnel were known to be "extremely
cautious" over opening up access to Mogadishu, but other international
organisations were beginning to review means of engagement now that
President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan's government was in place. Emphasis was
placed on progress made in peace talks with faction leaders, and
reconstruction. According to the source, the recent visits to Mogadishu of
the Nairobi-based Italian envoy to Somalia, Francesco Sciortino, and
Illing, indicated a new willingness to visit the capital, which had been
virtually abandoned by international organisations for the past five
years.

Mogadishu - laid to waste by competing faction leaders - has been shunned
on account of its lawlessness, politically-motivated assassinations and
kidnappings, militia-manned road blocks, and the absence of a usable
airstrip. By contrast, the self-declared state of Somaliland in northwest,
and the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, have attracted aid
and diplomatic attention. Efforts by the new government to establish
forces of law and order were in the early stages, said the source. 

SOMALIA: Appeal emphasises Somalia's needs

Somalia appeared at the top of the list in the annual appeal to donors by
the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The appeal focused in
particular on the needs of three countries, including Somalia, said an FAO
press release issued in Rome, 29 November. Highlighting the problems of
Somalia, Tajikistan and Angola, the FAO appealed for some US $101.5
million for Somalia alone. It said special emphasis would be put on
Somalia's "governance and development, mine awareness and the return of
Somali nationals with relevant qualifications". Food security, health and
nutrition also figured high up on the list of proposed projects, said the
appeal. Full details of the appeal can be found at
http://www.reliefweb.int with further FAO information available on
http://www.fao.org. 

SOMALIA: Cholera reportedly kills 35 in Adale

At least 35 people were confirmed dead and another 80 were in hospital in
Adale, central Somalia, the transitional health minister, Ahmad Shaykh
Mahmud 'Amore', told IRIN on Monday. The worst-hit areas were the villages
of Masajid, Ali Gadud and Gel Gub, all in the vicinity of Adale town, he
said. According to 'Amore', there were also suspected cases of cholera in
the Gubta and Buulo Huubey areas in south Mogadishu, and in Karan in the
north of the city. So far no deaths had been reported in the capital, and
both people and the government were organising emergency help to send to
Adale, he said. 

The WHO told IRIN that they had not yet confirmed that what was happening
in Adale was an outbreak of cholera. Dr Firdosi Mehta, a medical officer
with WHO Somalia, said stool samples from the affected people would be
sent to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday or Tuesday for analysis.
WHO did have reports of "increases in diarrhoea cases in Adale," he said.
According to Dr Mehta, 65 cases and three deaths were reported to WHO,
which had "repositioned supplies for initial response" and had a cholera
plan in place in every region.  Local health workers "appear to have
things under control," Dr Mehta added. The local health team consists of
nine nurses and three auxiliaries, supportedby a doctor sent by UNICEF.
 
SOMALIA: Southern areas hit by flooding

Large areas of the Juba Valley in southern Somalia have been flooded, with
thousand of hectares inundated, according to sources close to the office
of the new prime minister, Ali Khalif Galayr. The floods had destroyed
farms, livestock and houses in the Lower and Middle Juba regions, the
source added. Kismaayo businessman Adan Hasan Dhakoke told IRIN that all
business activity between Kismaayo and Mogadishu had come to a halt
because the main road linking the two cities had been cut by the floods.

Meanwhile, UNICEF reported that the situation did not appear grave. "There
is flooding, but at this point it does not look massive," said UNICEF
emergency officer Sheldon Yett. So far, the information available to
agencies indicated that 100 families in Arare village, north of Kismet,
had been affected, and UNICEF had already distributed blankets, sandbags
and mosquito nets, Yett said. UNICEF was monitoring the situation and
would "respond accordingly", the official added. The problem of flooding
is exacerbated by farmers, who intentionally breach river embankments as a
means of irrigating their farms, according to humanitarian sources.

SUDAN: More government bombing raids

Sudanese government planes carried out several bombing raids in the
Eastern Equatoria region at the weekend, demolishing part of a school and
causing people to flee in panic, humanitarian sources said on Monday.  The
attacks began on 24 November in Twic county, when 14 bombs were dropped in
three raids, hitting the Panlit missionary school. Two classrooms were
demolished and most of the 700 children at the school fled into the bush
in panic or returned to their villages. A spokesman for the Sudan
Production Aid (SUPRAID) NGO, which works in the area, told IRIN the
children were slowly returning from the bush, but were too afraid to
resume classes. [See


SUDAN: Bashir welcomes Mahdi's return

Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir has welcomed the return of opposition
leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi. Mahdi, leader of Ummah Party (UP), received an
ecstatic welcome at the airport by supporters on 23 November, news
agencies said. The official Sudanese news agency (Suna) said on 24
November that the ruling party, the National Congress, and the UP were
close to concluding an agreement. Bashir affirmed that Mahdi could
participate in the political life of the country in the government, or in
opposition, Suna stated. Al-Mahdi met Bashir on Saturday and the two
discussed ways of ending the civil war in Sudan, Reuters news agency
reported. 

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: First land access route opened

The first land corridor has been successfully opened between Ethiopia and
Eritrea for use by the United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNMEE). UNMEE
Force Commander Maj-Gen Patrick Cammaert and several key staff members
travelled in a two-vehicle convoy by road from Adi Keyih in Eritrea, along
the Adigrat road into Ethiopia, an official UNMEE statement said on
Tuesday. The Force Commander and his party were met by senior military
officials on both sides, and checkpoint crossings were facilitated on both
sides by UN military observers. 

According to the UNMEE statement, the crossing "is a positive step in the
ongoing effort to peacefully resolve the dispute... In addition to
reducing tensions between them, access routes are essential for the
effective deployment of UNMEE's peacekeeping force, which will be
positioned between the two armies". Maj-Gen Cammaert said the next step
would be to open two additional land and air routes in the next few weeks.
Access routes were necessary for the mission's freedom of movement, for
supply and logistical purposes and to deal with medical emergencies, the
statement said.

Meanwhile, South African Deputy Defence Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge
has announced South Africa will send soldiers to join the Ethiopia-Eritrea
mission. It was the first time South Africa had sent soldiers on a
peacekeeping mission, she said. Two military officers were leaving on
Thursday for Addis Ababa, followed by seven officers next week, AFP said. 

ETHIOPIA: Mine awareness deemed successful

Land mine awareness programmes for displaced populations in Ethiopia have
had a positive impact, and have changed attitudes. A UNICEF review of Land
Mine Awareness (LMA) in Ethiopia showed that before the programme, there
were reports of people "keeping mines as objects of curiosity in their
homes and using them as work implements". Such attitudes had changed in
target areas, said UNICEF.

Civilian causalities had increased in the period immediately following the
signing of the cessation of hostilities agreement on 18 June, as some
people were moved into areas understood to be "demined", noted the report.
The LMA strategy had changed with the return home of internally displaced
people (IDPs), and had placed greater emphasis on schools, using drama,
poetry and discussion. A radio programme was carrying information and
debates on mine-related issues on a weekly basis, said the UNICEF report. 

ETHIOPIA: Feeding centre reopened in Denan

Persisting high levels of malnutrition in Denan in the Somali region has
resulted in MSF-Belgium reopening its therapeutic feeding centre.  A
UNICEF situation report on Ethiopia said the reopened centre had admitted
60 children "due to persisting high levels of malnutrition in the area". 

Meanwhile, improved conditions in Gode - the site of a major humanitarian
intervention this year - have led to Save the Children-USA's (SC-USA)
therapeutic feeding centre being phased out on 14 November. The eight
remaining children were transferred to Gode zonal hospital, where they
would continue receiving therapeutic treatment under the supervision of
SC-USA, the UNICEF situation report said. Supplementary feeding centres
run by SC-USA and the Ogaden Welfare Society (OWS) continue to support
1,400 recipients with take-home rations. 

ETHIOPIA: Patriarch attends US HIV/AIDS summit

A religious delegation headed by the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church, Abuna Paulos, left on Wednesday to attend a meeting on HIV/AIDS in
Washington, US. The five-day summit would be held at the White House, and
would look at ways to form a joint forum among religious institutions in
the fight against HIV/AIDS, said an official press release. The role of
religious institutions in the global fight against the disease would be
debated, the office of the Patriarchate said. 

Nairobi, 1 December 2000


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