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Somalia – Complex Emergency
May 15, 2009
Situation Report #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 (PDF, 50kb)
Background
Since 1991, widespread violence, endemic poverty, recurrent droughts, and floods have generated a complex emergency
in Somalia. From December 2006 to January 2009, fighting between the Somalia Transitional Federal Government
(TFG), Ethiopian forces, and armed militias opposed to the TFG led to a further deterioration in humanitarian
conditions. Following the January 2009 Ethiopian troop withdrawals, conflict between armed militia groups in Somalia
continues to displace populations and limit access to affected areas. As a result, approximately 460,000 Somali
refugees have fled the country and more than 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), including long-term IDPs
and individuals displaced by increased fighting since February 2007, remain uprooted within Somalia.
In January 2009, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) reported that
3.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Somalia, representing 43 percent of the total population and
a 77 percent increase since January 2008. The combined effects of consecutive seasons of failed or poor rainfall,
continuing conflict, rising inflation, massive displacement, and diarrheal disease outbreaks have severely exacerbated
food insecurity and resulted in a significant increase in acute malnutrition rates, according to the 2009 U.N.
Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for Somalia. U.N. and partner agencies are coordinating efforts to improve
access, but insecurity and targeted attacks against relief staff hinder the provision of emergency assistance to affected
populations.
On October 31, 2008, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael E. Ranneberger redeclared a disaster in Somalia due to the
complex emergency. To date in FY 2009, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided more than $136 million for
humanitarian assistance programs in Somalia, including more than $9 million in USAID/OFDA funding to support
agriculture and food security, economy and market systems, health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and
hygiene interventions. USAID/OFDA programs in Somalia are focused on flexible response to allow implementing
partners to adjust to fluid security conditions and continue to reach beneficiaries.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
Total Population in Need of Emergency Assistance |
3.2 million |
FSAU – Jan. 2009 |
IDPs since February 2007 |
1,288,288 |
UNHCR1 – Mar. 2009 |
Long-Term IDPs |
275,000 |
FSAU – Jan. 2008 |
Somali Refugees in East and Central Africa |
460,023 |
UNHCR – Mar. 2009 |
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FY 2009 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING
USAID/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia: |
$9,084,706 |
USAID/FFP2 Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia: |
$120,069,600 |
State/PRM 3 Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia: |
$7,450,000 |
Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia: |
$136,604,306 |
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Current Situation
Consecutive seasons of below-normal crop production,
drought conditions, high food prices, rising
malnutrition rates, disease outbreaks, civil insecurity,
and population displacement continue to exacerbate
food insecurity and livelihood conditions throughout
Somalia. On February 11, FSAU released findings
from the Post Deyr 2008/2009 Analysis based on
December and January seasonal assessments conducted
by FSAU, the USAID-supported Famine Early
Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), and 31
partners, including regional authorities, U.N. agencies,
and local and international non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). According to the report,
approximately 3.2 million Somalis require
humanitarian assistance through June 2009, including
650,000 children under the age of five.
Humanitarian agencies have expressed increased
concern regarding severe water shortages and drought
conditions in Mudug, Galgadud, Hiran, Middle Juba,
and Lower Juba regions, resulting in high water prices,
significant livestock losses, and deteriorating food
security and nutrition conditions. Although some
drought-affected areas in Galgadud and Mudug regions
received localized rainfall in late March and early
April, FSAU reported insufficient rain to alleviate
drought conditions.
USAID/OFDA staff continue to monitor conditions
and address evolving needs resulting from the drought
and food security crisis, in addition to facilitating
coordination and information sharing among
international relief organizations.
Security and Access
The security situation in Somalia remains fluid due
conflict between armed militias attempting to gain
control of various regions following the withdrawal of
Ethiopian troops in late January. Although U.N.
reports indicate a 50 percent decline in security
incidents from January to February in south and central
Somalia, insecurity and targeting of relief staff
continue to contribute to reduced humanitarian access,
population displacement, restricted trade, and increased
transportation costs.
Between January 1 and April 24, the U.N. reported the
abduction and subsequent release of six aid workers in
Somalia. However, 16 of the 26 aid workers abducted
during 2008 remain in captivity. In addition,
unidentified gunmen shot and killed a former CARE
employee in Lower Shabelle Region on April 19.
CARE previously suspended activities in south and
central Somalia in January 2009, following warnings
by militia groups to cease operations. On April 19,
members of an armed militia group abducted two
Médecins Sans Frontières/Belgium staff members in
Bakool Region. According to international media,
militia members released the hostages unharmed on
April 28.
Population Movements
U.N. reports indicate simultaneous population
displacement and returns in Mogadishu. On April 14,
UNHCR reported that conflict and insecurity displaced
approximately 27,000 people from Mogadishu between
January and mid-April. However, conflict displaced
only 1,200 people during March, representing the
smallest monthly displacement figure reported for
Mogadishu since 2007. In total, conflict and insecurity
displaced an estimated 15,000 people throughout
Somalia during March, while drought displaced an
additional 15,000 individuals from Lower Juba, Middle
Juba, Gedo, and Galgadud regions.
According to UNHCR, an estimated 61,000 IDPs
returned to Mogadishu between January and March,
representing nearly 6 percent of the total population
displaced from the city since 2006. The majority of
IDPs returned from Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle,
Mudug, Galgadud, and Hiran regions, where
significant water and pasture shortages continue to
threaten food security and livelihoods. Despite the
onset of initial returns, the total number of IDPs
increased from approximately 1 million to more than
1.2 million between December 2008 and March 2009,
according to UNHCR.
In late March, the humanitarian Inter-Agency Standing
Committee for Somalia formally endorsed a policy not
to encourage IDP returns to Mogadishu due to security
concerns, limited humanitarian access, and inadequate
provision of basic services. However, humanitarian
agencies continue to assist IDPs in areas of
displacement and prepare contingency plans to assist
population returns to Mogadishu pending improved
security conditions.
Population movement across international borders also
remains fluid. According to the U.N. Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), limited
numbers of refugees from Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia,
and Saudi Arabia have returned to Mogadishu.
However, between January and March, UNHCR
registered approximately 22,000 people at the Dadaab
refugee complex in the North Eastern Province of
Kenya. While UNHCR continues to receive and
register new refugee arrivals, NGOs have reported a
potential humanitarian emergency in the Dadaab
complex due to a lack of basic services, significant
overcrowding, and inadequate funding. Intended to
accommodate 90,000 people, the Dadaab complex
currently hosts approximately 264,000 refugees.
Negotiations remain ongoing between UNHCR and the
Government of Kenya to secure land for additional
camp construction to meet expanded population needs.
To date in FY 2009, State/PRM has contributed more
than $7.4 million to support Somali refugees in Kenya,
Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen.
Food Security
Food security conditions continue to deteriorate in
central Somalia, particularly in Mudug, Galgadud, and
Hiran regions. Recurring shocks, including successive
seasons of failed rains beginning in April 2007,
ongoing insecurity, high food and fuel prices, and trade
disruptions have resulted in asset depletion and
adaptation of distressed coping strategies among
affected populations.
A prolonged and particularly dry January to April jilaal
dry season caused by the poor performance and early
cessation of the October to January deyr seasonal rains
has contributed to severe water and pasture shortages
Somalia Complex Emergency – May 5, 2009
throughout central Somalia. According to FEWS NET,
increased distances between water sources and grazing
areas has negatively affected livestock productivity and
exacerbated food insecurity. In April, FSAU reported
that goat and sheep herd sizes fell 30 percent below
baseline levels, with an additional 20 to 30 percent
decline expected by June. In addition, local authorities
in Galgadud and Mudug regions reported the death of
approximately 43,000 sheep and goats during the past
few months as a result of water shortages.
According to FSAU, parts of Bay Region and areas of
Lower Juba Region received rainfall in early April,
resulting in replenished water sources and increased
pasture availability. In addition, some drought-affected
areas in Galgadud and Mudug regions received
moderate rainfall in late March and early April, but
significant in-migration from neighboring areas quickly
exhausted water supplies, resulting in only moderate
and temporary alleviation of drought conditions.
Despite the recent onset of moderate rainfall in some
areas of Somalia, the Climate Outlook Forum
forecasted an 80 percent probability for below-normal
April to June gu rainfall, potentially resulting in the
fourth consecutive below-normal rainy season and a
below-normal August crop production. As a result,
FEWS NET does not expect humanitarian conditions to
improve in the coming months, as gu-reliant crops
constitute 70 percent of annual cereal production in
most parts of the country. Even if gu rains perform
well, continued humanitarian assistance and several
seasons of adequate rainfall will be required for
drought-affected households to recover due to high
asset losses and weakened health conditions.
High prices also continue to negatively affect food
access and increase food insecurity in Somalia.
Although FEWS NET reported moderate declines in
2009, prices remain significantly above long-term
averages. In March, FSAU reported that local cereal
prices remained 150 to 230 percent higher than the
2004–2008 March average. As a result of high food
prices, the percentage of urban poor populations
employing distressed coping mechanisms, including
reducing the number of daily meals and borrowing
from neighbors, has increased from 32 to 59 percent
between 2008 and 2009, according to FSAU.
To date in FY 2009, USAID/OFDA has provided more
than $1.1 million to support agriculture and food
security programs in Somalia, including animal health
interventions intended to safeguard livelihood assets.
Health and Nutrition
Nutrition surveys highlight emergency levels of acute
malnutrition throughout Somalia due to deteriorating
food security, population displacement, disease
outbreaks, and a lack of basic social services.
According to FSAU, 17 nutrition assessments
conducted between October and December 2008
confirm that global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates in
many areas of the country remain significantly above
the 15 percent emergency threshold, ranging from 18 to
25 percent in Gedo, Bakool, western Galgadud, and
western Mudug regions.
On February 11, FSAU reported that approximately
200,000 Somali children remain acutely malnourished,
including 60,000 severely malnourished children
requiring immediate treatment. In addition, an
estimated 10,000 children in Galgadud and Mudug
regions require immediate therapeutic care, but
ongoing insecurity continues to hinder humanitarian
access to affected areas. The U.N. Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) expects the number of acutely and severely
malnourished children to increase during 2009 by 50
percent and 60 percent, respectively.
In response to increased malnutrition concerns,
UNICEF continues to distribute ready-to-use food
Plumpy’doz targeting 120,000 vulnerable children
between 6 and 36 months of age. In addition, UNICEF
and the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO)
continue to implement phase one of the Child Health
Days campaign in southern Somalia aimed at reaching
more than 200,000 children with Vitamin A
supplements, de-worming vaccinations, nutrition
screening, referral services, and oral re-hydration
therapy. The campaign also targets 160,000 women of
child-bearing age with tetanus vaccinations and various
health education initiatives.
To date in FY 2009, USAID/OFDA has provided more
than $1.8 million to support health and nutrition
activities in Somalia, including programs aimed at
improving essential health service provision for
vulnerable populations, as well as the continuation and
expansion of nutrition assessments. In addition, FY
2008 USAID/OFDA funding supports ongoing
nutrition and health programs, including the UNICEF
and WHO Child Health Days campaign and programs
aimed at mitigating acute malnutrition impacts on
children under five years of age.
Emergency Food Assistance
In March, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP)
distributed more than 36,000 metric tons (MT) of food
to 2.2 million beneficiaries throughout Somalia,
including nearly 160,000 beneficiaries in Gedo and
Hiran regions. However, a lack of security guarantees
from local authorities in some areas of south and
central Somalia prevented WFP from distributing an
additional 8,600 MT of food intended to reach 600,000
Somalis.
Sea piracy off the coast of Somalia increased
significantly during March and April, affecting WFP
food aid deliveries to Somalia. On April 8, pirates
hijacked the Maersk Alabama, an American-flagged
Somalia Complex Emergency – May 5, 2009
cargo ship transporting nearly 8,200 MT of USAID
P.L. 480 Title II emergency food assistance, valued at
approximately $5.3 million, to Kenya, Uganda, and
Somalia. According to the International Maritime
Bureau, piracy incidents have doubled in 2009
compared to 2008, with 61 incidents occurring off the
coast of Somalia between January and March.
Increased piracy incidents underscore the need for
escorts to ensure delivery of critical humanitarian food
assistance to affected populations in Somalia. In
March, European Union vessels escorted three ships
carrying 12,000 MT of assorted commodities from
Mombasa Port, Kenya, to Mogadishu. Since
December 2008, 12 WFP-contracted ships have
delivered more than 120,000 MT of assorted food to
Somalia.
To date in FY 2009, USAID/FFP has provided nearly
160,000 MT of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food
assistance, valued at more than $120 million, to WFP
and CARE for distribution to vulnerable populations.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Water shortages and associated price increases
continue to limit the availability of safe drinking water
in central Somalia and parts of Gedo, Hiran, Lower
Juba, and Middle Juba regions. FEWS NET reported
that water prices in Galgadud Region increased by 115
to 150 percent between March 2008 and 2009. In
response to increasing water shortages, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
provided water trucking to more than 500,000 people
in Galgadud, Hiran, Mudug, Gedo, Lower Juba,
Middle Juba, Bay, and Bakool regions, between March
15 and April 30. According to the U.N., humanitarian
organizations will continue water trucking in affected
areas until the onset of the gu rains.
The presence of waterborne diseases due to poor
sanitation and hygiene and a lack of safe drinking
water also presents significant health risks for
populations throughout Somalia, particularly in
drought-affected areas. In March, WHO reported 500
cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD), including 378
cases in children under the age of five, and one related
death in Lower Juba and Middle Juba regions,
representing a 50 percent caseload increase compared
to February. Between March 1 and April 3, WHO
reported 304 cases of AWD in Mogadishu, resulting in
six deaths. WHO attributed the increased caseload in
Mogadishu to population movements, drought
conditions, and an interruption of water and sanitation
activities due to ongoing conflict.
To date in FY 2009, USAID/OFDA has provided
nearly $1.2 million to support water, sanitation, and
hygiene interventions countrywide, including programs
designed to increase access to safe drinking water
among IDP populations, as well as hygiene education
programs aimed at reducing the spread of waterborne
diseases.
For detailed information on U.S. Government humanitarian assistance to Somalia, please see Situation Report #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 (PDF, 50kb)
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