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

Tel: +254 2 622147
Fax: +254 2 622129
e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org


HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-Up 389
30 June - 6 July 2007


CONTENTS:

DJIBOUTI: Clean water for 25,000 people
SUDAN: Tents sent to thousands left homeless by flash floods
ISRAEL-SUDAN: Government to turn back refugees at border
SOMALIA: NGO suspends relief work due to security concerns
SOMALIA: Violence forcing residents out of the capital again

See also:
GLOBAL: Number of desperately poor in Africa has 'levelled off' - UN
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73032

SOMALIA: Harnessing community power
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73037


DJIBOUTI: Clean water for 25,000 people

In a bid to alleviate the problem of perennial water scarcity among poor
residents of rural Djibouti, aid donors, the government and a UN agency
are backing a project to provide clean drinking water to an estimated
25,000 people.

Djibouti, a semi-desert state in the Horn of Africa, experiences
frequent drought and most of its water supply is derived from ground
water sources, which most poor rural communities have difficulty
accessing.

The new project, to be completed in 2008, is funded by the European
Union and implemented by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Djibouti's
Ministry of Agriculture. It will boost the capacity of the country's 61
diesel-powered pumps, which break down frequently, with 25 new
solar-power pumps.

Full report
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73054


SUDAN: Tents sent to thousands left homeless by flash floods

Amid fears that the River Nile could inundate areas near Khartoum, the
Sudanese Red Crescent on 5 July sent hundreds of tents to Rabak, south
of the city, where flash floods have left thousands homeless.

Sudanese authorities have forecast worse floods this year than in 2006,
when the Nile reached a record high. Khartoum registered a level higher
than two previous records - 1988 and 1946 - and 27 people died.

The areas likely to be affected include Kassala in east Sudan, North
Kordofan and Jazeera State, south of the capital. State news agencies
reported that officials were making arrangements to mitigate the likely
effects of the rising waters.

Full report
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73096


ISRAEL-SUDAN: Government to turn back refugees at border

A decision by the Israeli government may place hundreds of refugees and
asylum seekers from Africa at risk, legal experts and aid workers warned
this week.

According to the new plan, announced on 1 July, Israel will return to
Egypt "infiltrators" crossing the countries' joint border. A government
communique said they would be "quickly" deported and indicated they
would not be able to make an asylum claim in Israel.

Accordingly, the Israeli security forces have been instructed to arrest
and send back all those crossing the border, and to detain those who
cannot be immediately returned.

Full report
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73078


SOMALIA: NGO suspends relief work due to security concerns

The International Medical Corps (IMC) has temporarily suspended all its
activities in and around the Somali town of El-Berde, 420km northwest of
the capital Mogadishu, citing security concerns.

"All IMC staff members employed in El-Berde have been urged to relocate
immediately and have been offered help in evacuating to safer areas,"
the medical charity stated.

IMC's decision to suspend its programmes in El-Berde comes a week after
one of its staff members and a driver were killed in the town.

Full report
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73093


SOMALIA: Violence forcing residents out of the capital again

Residents of Mogadishu, who had returned to the Somali capital after
fleeing recent fighting between government forces and insurgents, are
leaving the city again amid continuing violence, local sources said.

"There has been an increase in the number of displaced who have returned
to the camp in the past 30 days," said Hawa Abdi, a doctor, whose
26-hectare compound, 20km south of Mogadishu, is home to thousands of
internally displaced persons (IDPs).

"There were about 12,000 people sheltering in the compound in May, but
there are now double this figure," she told IRIN on 4 July.

Full report
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73071


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