Reference :
V-P-SO-E-00435
Date :
18/02/2009
Caption :
West of Dusamareb, Galgadud region. Displaced persons collecting water at a distribution point set up by the ICRC.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
Extract from ICRC Bulletin No. 02 / 2009.
24 January 2009
background information :
Somalia: ICRC warns of worsening humanitarian situation in central region
The humanitarian situation in the central region of Galgadud, north of the capital Mogadishu, is among the worst in Somalia: the plight of thousands of displaced people is compounded by severe drought. The ICRC provides more than 100,000 people with shelter, water and medical care.
A population in distress
Nearly two decades of conflict, poor security conditions and widespread lawlessness continue to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Somalia. In addition, recurrent droughts and high food and fuel prices contribute to food insecurity and high malnutrition rates in many areas. Millions of Somalis continue to depend on humanitarian assistance.
In the central region of Galgadud, several thousand people had to flee their homes earlier this year because of heavy fighting. Severe drought has further aggravated the situation for the displaced and residents alike. Families have inadequate shelter. They are short of water and may run out of food soon.
"We fled from Mogadishu two years ago and when we arrived in Dusamareb [the capital of the central region] we were hoping for a better life. But then we started suffering from the drought and now the conflict has followed us. We had to leave town and we will not go back in the near future. There is nothing to go back to," said Faduma Mahmud, an elderly woman who has been displaced with her entire family.
Emergency aid
Working with the Somali Red Crescent Society, the ICRC has distributed essential household items to about 72,000 people in the Galgadud region. The items included shelter material, kitchen sets, clothes for adults and children, mats, blankets and jerrycans.
In December, the ICRC and the Red Crescent had already provided full food rations of rice, beans and vegetable oil to displaced people and residents in the central region.
Improving water resources
The drought in the central region and the lack of security have aggravated an already appalling humanitarian situation. Displaced families are severely affected by the lack of water. Most have found refuge in remote places far from water points and have to walk hours to reach wells and boreholes.
"The displaced people are exhausted," said Pascal Mauchle, head of the ICRC's Somalia delegation. "Many cannot even find a tree to protect them from the blazing sun. They sit in the open, without shelter, and struggle every day to survive in the harsh conditions."
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
3872x2592
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
