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Thousands Flee New Violence in Somalia

Wed May 27, 5:28 pm ETWASHINGTON, May 27 (OneWorld.net) - Over 67,000 people have fled the latest outbreak of violence in and around the Somali capital Mogadishu, as increasing security concerns obstruct aid to many of those affected.

What's the Story?
Since Friday alone, escalating violence between Islamist insurgents and pro-government troops in Mogadishu, situated on Somalia's eastern coast, has forced roughly 8,000 people to seek refuge in makeshift camps where medicine, food, and water are scarce, reports Reuters AlertNet, citing aid agencies.
In total, 67,000 people have been uprooted and nearly 200 killed by the most recent bout of fighting, which began May 8. (See the full story from the UN News Center below.)
Violence Hampering Humanitarian Aid
"Aid work in Mogadishu has virtually ground to a halt because of increasing violence," wrote the humanitarian news agency IRIN last week.
The medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières has put operations on hold at its outpatient clinic in Yaaqshid while UNICEF's compound in Jowhar, north of Mogadishu, was looted on May 17 when a militia group seized control of the town.
The destruction of the UN children's agency's medical and nutritional supplies and equipment will affect upwards of 100,000 young people in Somalia.
Nonetheless, UNICEF and UNHCR said Friday that they plan to reach, over the course of several days, 100,000 people affected by the fighting with non-food items. In addition, the UN World Food Program is continuing to serve more than 80,000 cooked meals on a daily basis in Mogadishu.
Local human rights and civil society organizations have also come together to mobilize assistance for those affected.
"The situation is so bad that if nothing is done many will die," Asha Sha'ur, a civil society activist, told IRIN last week. "We are appealing to the international aid agencies to help these desperate people before it is too late."
Sha'ur's task force is also accompanying aid agencies "wherever they want to go," including camps and makeshift shelters for the internally displaced, many of whom are living in dire conditions.
Many groups providing on-the-ground assistance in Somalia are also concerned for the safety of their staff. According to a report released in November by human rights monitor Amnesty International, at least 40 aid workers have been killed so far this year in the country, "putting at least 3 million Somalis at even greater risk of malnutrition and disease."
Reporter Killed in Mogadishu
Humanitarian aid workers are not the only ones in danger in Somalia due to their work. Radio journalist Abdirisak Mohamed Warsame was killed last week in Mogadishu, caught in crossfire while on his way to work.
Warsame's employer, Shabelle Media Network, has previously criticized both the transitional government in Somalia and its Islamist opponents. In addition to Warsame, two Radio Shabelle reporters have been killed since 2007; both were murdered.
In 2007, "Somalia was the deadliest place for the press in Africa and second only to Iraq worldwide," notes the Committee to Protect Journalists. The organization has accused the Somali government of intimidating and persecuting Somali reporters.
"Three Somali journalists have died in the line of duty so far this year," said CPJ. "Since 2007, 12 journalists have died in Somalia in connection with their work, half killed in crossfire and half targeted for murder."
Background: Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis in Somalia
Many of the people fleeing the capital were escaping violence for at least the second time, noted Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to Somalia. He characterized the situation as "very difficult ... but not hopeless."
Somalia is at the top of Foreign Policy magazine's 2008 Failed States Index, an annual report from the think tank. The absence of a strong central government since the 1991 overthrow of the military regime has resulted in violence and lawlessness.
Many Somalis have been driven out of the country by an ongoing civil war between Islamist insurgents and the government, who fear Somalia will become an Islamic state. Repeated incursions by Ethiopian troops seeking to wipe out the insurgents have also fanned the flames of conflict.
In 2008, a series of UN-sponsored talks in Djibouti among opposition parties led to the signing of a peace agreement. The accord, among other things, called for the cessation and termination of all armed confrontation by the two sides within 30 days, reported IRIN.
But the recent outbreak of violence in Mogadishu on May 8 between government and opposition forces has stalled the country's forward momentum.
"They [refugees] had returned to Mogadishu after the signing of the UN-backed peace agreements in Djibouti in January, only to be sent running for their lives again," said a UN report.
Thousands of civilians have lost their lives to the conflict and a total of 1.1 million people in Somalia are currently living as refugees in their own country. For more information on politics, conflict, and development in Somalia, see OneWorld.net's Somalia country guide.
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Over 67,000 Somalis displaced by escalating fighting, reports UN agencyFrom: UN News Center
5/26/09
26 May 2009 - The number of Somalis fleeing the latest escalation of fighting in and around Mogadishu has surpassed 67,000, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today, adding that worsening security has also hampered aid delivery to the capital.
In less than three weeks, some 20,000 residents of Mogadishu have fled to settlements like this one in Afgooye
Intense fighting between the Government and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups erupted in several north-west areas of Mogadishu on 8 May.
According to UNHCR, most of the uprooted are heading to makeshift camps along the Afgooye corridor, south-west of Mogadishu. These sites are already hosting an estimated 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
"Those displaced who are unable to make the 30-kilometre journey have sought refuge in south-western parts of Mogadishu that have not yet been overrun by fighting," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva.
The agency added that the deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around the capital.
"Local agencies that have been providing a lifeline to the IDPs are facing growing security problems as they try to help the needy," Mr. Redmond said.
Starting today, UNHCR is distributing aid - including cooking sets, plastic sheeting and blankets - for some 50,000 people in the Afgooye corridor through its local partners in Somalia.
Somalia is one of the world's largest refugee-producing countries, and the number of Somalis fleeing to neighbouring countries continues to rise, the agency added.
In addition to providing protection and assistance to some half a million Somali refugees in nearby countries, including Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Eritrea and Tanzania, UNHCR is also coordinating aid for the 1.3 million displaced in Somalia.