UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN Monthly Analysis September 2005

This report was written in cooperation with the UN Agencies in Somalia

OVERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS On the UN’s International Day of Peace (September 21) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Fall told the transitional government of Somalia that only progress in the political process would unlock international support for peace, reconciliation and development. Fall said the ongoing crisis within the government threatens to escalate to armed conflict and has discouraged donors from contributing to the reconstruction of the war-shattered state. Fall pledged that the UN would continue to foster efforts to restore peace and improve the lives of the people of Somalia. ‘There is much more that the United Nations is able and willing to do but it is the Somalia transitional federal institutions, working in accordance with the transitional charter, which must lead the way’.

In the north east, continues to experience political development and economic recovery. Legislative elections held on the 29 September were conducted in a peaceful, free and fair manner, according to international observers who were present - and the election process proceeded without intimidation. ‘We were all heartened by the high turn out of voters, particularly women, despite the small number of women candidates,’ Mandla Nkomfe, head of a 12-member South Africa observer mission said. A total of 246 candidates, including seven women contested the 82 seats in the lower house. Of the 1.2 million refugees that fled Somalia’s conflict in 1991, 700,000 have returned back to the north east, attracted by the dynamic urban areas and the relative stability of the region.

Despite the signing of a peace agreement on September 25 between the Marehan and Gare communities, the humanitarian situation in Gedo region remains complex. Following this peace agreement, OCHA led an assessment mission (to El-Wak/Somalia) that instigated a response by agencies (UNHCR and CARE Somalia) but subsequently a series of serious security incidents, involving hand grenades and landmines have prevented humanitarian activities being carried out.

Chronic food insecurity and unacceptably high malnutrition levels persist in many areas, especially in the south, even in populations that are relatively food secure. It is envisaged that such unacceptably high malnutrition rates will trigger an increase in the response capacity of the humanitarian community - which is so urgently required - and especially along the Juba valley. Currently, around a quarter of the under five population is experiencing levels of acute malnutrition, that can exceed over internationally ‘cut off’ rates of 15%. In parts of Gedo and Juba regions malnutrition rates are above 20%.

Two cases of polio were confirmed in Mogadishu during September, with another 20 suspected cases under investigation. Somalia has been polio free since 2002. In view of these two confirmed cases, WHO and UNICEF launched an immunization campaign in Mogadishu to reach as many children under five as possible. A wider campaign covering other areas of Somalia started on 28 September.

This year the CAP Somalia 2006 seeks to target the one million most chronically vulnerable people in the country, the majority of whom can barely meet their basic needs. This year the CAP has a much greater humanitarian focus as other mechanisms are put in to place to address the country’s transitional, recovery and reconstruction needs (for example the Joint Needs Assessment (JNA)).

ACCESS AND SECURITY

The security situation in central and southern zones remained tense and volatile. The arrival in Jowhar of an estimated 1,500 militia from via Ethiopia (although expected) created additional tension. Several of the TFG ministers currently based in Mogadishu declared that they intended to attack Jowhar where the President has located the interim government. On September 8 the UN decided to temporarily relocate all international staff for security reasons.

The UN established a permanent presence in Kismayo following an earlier decision to downgrade the security phase from five to four, this indicated the possibility of the beginning of a gradual resumption of humanitarian work in the area. Before a full resumption of activities, an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the UN and the authorities outlining responsibilities and obligations, has to be signed. However, the security situation in Kismayo remains volatile fuelled by a series of clashes between Juba Valley Alliance and the Galjeel community.

In Mogadishu, UN activities continued despite ongoing individually targeted assassinations and increasing criminal acts and at least five people were killed when armed men opened fire at a local cinema near the SOS hospital.

A peace agreement between the Marehan and Gare communities from Gedo region and facilitated by the District Commissioner of Mandera on behalf of the Government of Kenya was successfully signed on 25 September. Following this breakthrough, an OCHA led assessment mission (to El-Wak/Somalia) alongside CARE Somalia/Kenya, Norweigan Church Aid, ASEP, SADO and SOMACTION assessed the needs of the estimated 15,000 IDPs in the area. The mission findings have instigated a response by agencies (UNHCR and CARE Somalia) that are currently focusing on provision of shelter, water, food and non-food items and transport- allowing IDPs to return to their areas of origin. A week after the mission departed, these relief activities were suspended after a grenade was thrown into an El Wak hotel compound, injuring seven people. During September, UNDSS (United Nations Department for Safety and Security) conducted a security assessment mission that included Bula Hawa, Garbahare, Bardera, Dollow and Luuq. The situation in the region is unstable and access by humanitarian agencies is considered on a case-by-case basis only.

Maritime officials describe Somali waters as some of the most dangerous in the world. The UN-chartered ship carrying food aid, the MV Semlow hijacked on 27 June was finally released on October 3 after being held for 100 days. Given the continued insecurity off the coast of Somalia, WFP is looking at various alternative routes to access Somalia, including overland from Kenya and through Djibouti. However, such initiatives would have serious cost implications and even then security cannot be guaranteed.

The overall security situation in the northwest remained calm with no security incidents reported during the elections. However, in the week preceding the event, police raided two buildings on the outskirts of Hargeisa and arrested seven men, confiscating a large number of anti-tank mines and fuses. Reports suggest the men had links to terrorist organizations and were planning an attack against senior political figures and/or foreign humanitarian workers. Meanwhile, UN humanitarian activities continued as normal, apart from activities in parts of and Sool which were hindered as a result of election tension.

The northeast was relatively quiet with uninterrupted access for humanitarian interventions with the exception of Sanaag and Sool. A World Food Programme (WFP) mission also reported an incident in Ufeyn village while conducting a food distribution; their rented vehicle came under fire by two gunmen who escaped with one of the WFP rented vehicles and some equipment.

The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) has approved the establishment of an ‘Access Working Group’ to discuss access priorities and opportunities - and requests for reconciliation initiatives. This group will be responsible for advising UNDSS on humanitarian access priorities and areas to be assessed in light of progress

7th Floor, Kalson Towers, Crescent Street, off Parklands Road, P.O. Box 28832, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya 2 Tel No: (254-20) 3754150-5; Fax No: (254-20) 3754150 in local reconciliation efforts and with a view to resuming humanitarian activities. The first meeting of the working group, which is chaired by OCHA, was held on in Nairobi on the September 21.

PROTECTION

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, has urged the international community to take measures to stop desperate people being smuggled out of Somalia to Yemen by unscrupulous traders. At least 150 people have died in dangerous boat journeys across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia (during August/September) the agency announced. ‘Every year between the months of September and March – when the seas are relatively calm - thousands of people cross the Gulf of Aden in unsafe vessels run by smuggling rings’ he said in a statement. Many Somalis, in search of safety, refuge from persecution or improved economic conditions set sail from Bosasso in Puntland region, trying to reach the Middle East or beyond. Hundreds are believed to be lost at sea every year, their deaths unreported. Those who survive the hazardous journey often arrive in Yemen, where UNHCR runs a reception centre and a camp.

The expulsion of IDPs from government owned properties in Kismayo (by the Juba Valley Alliance) where they had been squatting has left hundreds of IDPs without shelter. The expulsion has coincided with a peak period of temporary displacement of other Somalis from riverine areas in southern Somalia due to crop failure and flooding. However, casual employment opportunities at Kismayo port are now improving (due to seasonal change) and allowing some IDPs the opportunity to earn income but the need for adequate shelter is not sufficient and demand outstrips availability. In such situations IDPs are even more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

The Nairobi IDP (UN/INGO joint agency task force) traveled to Bosasso to share the UN Joint Strategic Framework on IDPs with the Puntland authorities as well as to discuss and reach agreement on the way forward on the issue of resettlement of IDPs. Current IDP living conditions are unacceptable and the authorities have now agreed to explore other sites on the edge of Bosasso where both the host community and IDP population could eventually benefit from planned services. Following Ramadan, further meetings will be held. Meanwhile UN agencies have offered technical assistance and are actively committed to raising funds for interventions in the new resettlement sites. The authorities have established a working committee to deal with resettlement issues, while the IDP task force will come up with an action plan.

Increased insecurity over water and land issues in the Qansahdhere and Dinsor regions is having a serious impact on the influx of displaced populations and is a growing concern. Unconfirmed field reports indicate that only one third of IDPs have returned to their farms to prepare land in anticipation of the Deyr rains, while the remaining two thirds have not been able to do so. Since the August harvest, cereals have become available in the market and prices have declined but this does not impact IDP populations, as they only have limited purchasing power due to scarcity of income earning opportunities.

Economic Migrants – A Case Study From Hiran (Kindly provided by FAO/FSAU Nutrition Project) Since 1992, Belet Weyne town has hosted economic migrants from the Bakool Region, with the biggest influx recorded during the 1992/93 famine. Some of these migrants settled in the town while others have been in transit to mainly North East Somalia. Currently about 50 families are settled in the area of Bundoweyn. Like other urban poor in Belet Weyne, this population has limited access to basic services although Belet Weyne provides better labour and small business opportunities than their areas of origin. Presented here is a case study on a family that moved to Belet Weyne two years ago.

This family of four migrated into Belet Weyne from Madaa in Bakool Region two years ago, after the deaths of two of their children. The father, Ali Mohammed is 35 years, the mother, Luuley Adan, is 32 years and they have two other children Mohamed (36 months) and Ahmed (14 months). On arrival in Belet Weyne and with virtually no assets or income the family relied on begging as a means of livelihood. Six months later, the father found occasional casual employment although access to income continued to be highly irregular. In January 2005, the family was provided with a donkey cart by Danish Refugee Council (DRC), which the father now uses for income generating activities such as fetching water and selling bush products. The family earns the equivalent 7th of Floor, 1.2 toKalson 2 US$ Towers, a day. Crescent Street, off Parklands Road, P.O. Box 28832, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya 3 Tel No: (254-20) 3754150-5; Fax No: (254-20) 3754150

T hough limited, the family can now access basic services, has constructed a grass thatched four by four metre stick house with separate kitchen and uses shared toilets built by DRC. The family now has three meals a day involving soor (a mixture of maize flour and water - and sometimes milk - cooked to a thick consistency) as well as drinking tea. Luuley gets occasional casual employment leaving her children in the care of relatives and other children.After birth, Luuley’s two children were fed on water and sugar solution for three days before breastfeeding was commenced. Breastfeeding continued along with water and sugar solution until the age of nine months when solid foods (mainly bananas and soor were introduced). A physical assessment showed that the younger child was malnourished but was not attending any of the available supplementary feeding programmes. The child had experienced repeated episodes of diarrhoea and malaria in the past three months. Luuley reported that the family usually sought medical assistance from a private clinic or pharmacy. At the time of interview, both children had not received any vaccinations.

HEALTH

The two polio cases that emerged in Mogadishu were detected by WHO’s national polio surveillance system. WHO and UNICEF said that in order to reach children for vaccination, they were working with all available partners, including local NGOs and community-based organizations, religious leaders, women’s groups, youth groups, doctors, traditional healers and others to help raise awareness and support control and prevention efforts. Scientific assessments of the situation have also begun. The September vaccination campaign follows nationwide polio immunization efforts in February, March, June, July and August in efforts to protect the country’s children from lifelong paralysis caused by the disease. Initial laboratory reports suggest the virus originated in Aden, Yemen where 400 polio cases have been reported. Currently Somalia’s health infrastructure is dilapidated due to the lawlessness that has gripped the country since 1991.

As reported last month, in villages surrounding Jowhar, a number of cholera cases have been confirmed but no deaths reported. However, aid agencies and local authorities continue to strengthen cholera control and are taking preventive measures, including chlorination of water supplies, early detection and case management.

HIV/AIDS

The authorities in Somaliland launched the National AIDS Commission (NAC) on 15 September. The NAC will assume responsibility for the implementation of a coordinated multi-sectoral response to combat HIV/AIDS. Just weeks after the commission’s inception, there has been increasing interest in this issue and particularly amongst policy makers, civil society organizations and the religious sector.

In both Somaliland and Puntland, People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have been identified as being crucial to the management of the HIV/AIDS response. As part of capacity building efforts, one PLWHA from Somaliland will be traveling to Algeria in November to participate in a Regional PLWHA HIV/AIDS Training Workshop. Religious Networks in support of the HIV/AIDS issue have also emerged. Two representatives from both the Somaliland and Puntland religious networks were sponsored by UNDP to attend a UN HIV/AIDS Regional Capacity Building Workshop in Yemen in September.

LIVELIHOOD AND FOOD SECURITY

The Hargeisa nutrition survey carried out in September among former ‘returnees/IDPs’, indicates a substantial improvement in the nutrition situation and is cause for optimism. The survey findings demonstrate that given a secure environment, a thriving economy, and assistance in access to social services and better housing, human well being will benefit and rapid recovery can occur. Global Acute Malnutrition (weight for height <-2 Z scores or oedema) was 7.6% (CI: 6.0 - 9.5). The malnutrition rates are significantly lower than rates previously observed in these populations although still above acceptable levels, based on WHO classification.

7th Floor, Kalson Towers, Crescent Street, off Parklands Road, P.O. Box 28832, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya 4 Tel No: (254-20) 3754150-5; Fax No: (254-20) 3754150 FSAU field work carried out in the north - Sool Plateau, the Hawd and Nugal Valley further confirms that pastoral recovery is underway in these northern regions following two consecutive above normal rainy seasons. Herd sizes are increasing and livestock body condition has improved following a year of adequate access and availability to water and pasture. Camel calving is returning to normal and pasture is currently widely available; abnormal herd migration or ‘distress’ coping was not reported or observed in the areas covered by fieldwork.

The Deyr (secondary rainy season) is not expected to start until mid-October but early September rains were received in large areas of the northeast and northwest, as well as parts of northern Gedo; however, it is still too early to predict the outcome of the Deyr rainy season and FSAU and FEWS-NET will continue to monitor progress.

Four months after the inauguration of the Duduble (China) canal in Jowhar, there has been a dramatic change, not only in scenery but also in the livelihoods of the people in the area. 14,000 hectares of simsim have been planted fed by the waters of the recently rehabilitated 15 kilometre canal, some of which is now being harvested. Trucks are transporting the harvested grain to Mogadishu for sale and further for export to the Gulf. In Jowhar, the grain is being processed locally into sesame oil. The planting, harvesting and processing are all labour intensive and have created thousands of jobs in the area. The rehabilitation of the canal is a joint venture between the local community and administration, UNDP and WFP.

RECOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT IN TSUNAMI AFFECTED AREAS

The UN Country Team for Somalia has completed a Recovery and Development Proposal for the coastline and hinterland affected by the tsunami. This multi-sectoral proposal has identified strategic action - both in terms of investment and governance reform - and working in close consultation with the Puntland authorities.

The UNCT declared an end to the tsunami emergency in April 2005, following an assessment that certified that the emergency humanitarian needs arising from the disaster had been met and agencies had adequate stocks to continue responding to food, water, health and shelter needs. This new initiative focuses not just on the reconstruction of assets destroyed by the tsunami but the complex process needed to induce socio-economic recovery in the broader region including the related geographical areas of the interior which traditionally have provided additional livelihood opportunities to the coastal population in a symbiotic relationship between the pastoral economy and the fishing industry.

The strategic plan will be implemented in two phases over a period of three years. Activities will be built on governance, strategic regional development planning, the productive sectors, infrastructure, settlements and the social development sector. The plan acknowledges the economic potential of the area and its ability to provide livelihoods for a large IDP population who desperately require income generation opportunities.

UN’S INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

Thousands of Somali men, women and children gathered in public spaces across Somalia on 21 September for events marking the International Day of Peace. Radio stations dedicated hours of free programming to public conversations on peace and reconciliation. Five newspapers in Mogadishu alone carried articles on the nation’s absence of peace, while politicians from most camps stood up to be counted among those committed to the non violent resolution of their differences.

In Baidoa, thousands were reported to have marched peacefully through the streets. Prominent business and political figures attended Peace Day ceremonies organized by women’s groups and youth organizations in more than a dozen of Somalia’s main population centres including: Jowhar, Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Burao, Garowe, Kismayo, Baidoa, , Galkayo and Merca. President Abdullahi Yusuf and the Speaker of the Parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, delivered peacemaking speeches and planted trees as symbols of their commitment, in Jowhar and Mogadishu respectively.

7th Floor, Kalson Towers, Crescent Street, off Parklands Road, P.O. Box 28832, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya 5 Tel No: (254-20) 3754150-5; Fax No: (254-20) 3754150 Local Somali media carried a global appeal by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan for a ceasefire wherever communities found themselves in conflict and his Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Fall, was widely reported when he told Somali and International reporters that what Somalia needed most were men and women with the courage and the vision to deliver a peaceful future. ‘I call on the leaders of the Somali Transitional Federal Institutions to work together, with sincerity and commitment, through dialogue and consensus, to build trust and reconciliation between themselves and within Somali society,’ he continued ‘I urge them to do all they can to give the children of Somalia, and their children, the brighter future they long for and deserve’...... ‘Let us all become ‘Peacelords’ for Somalia’.

CONSOLIDATED APPEAL PROCESS (CAP) SOMALIA 2006

The 2006 Somalia CAP consultations were completed as scheduled in September. Project Proposals submitted by UN agencies, International NGOs and Local NGOs were finalized in a meeting chaired by the Humanitarian Coordinator, set against the strategic priorities outlined below (and agreed on by the humanitarian community at the CAP workshop in August). • Increase the sustainable access to basic humanitarian services for vulnerable populations, and in particular the one million people in a state of Humanitarian Emergency, Livelihood Crisis, IDPs and those living in areas of return and resettlement • Enhance the protection of and respect for the human rights and dignity of affected populations • Enhance the local capacity for durable social service delivery and its response to natural or conflict driven disaster The strategic goals have a slight shift in emphasis this year taking into account the Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) , as well as the UN Transition Plan. The JNA’s objective is to help Somalia acheive sustained reconstruction and development (see below). In conformity with the intention to keep the CAP 2006 focused on humanitarian activities (while ensuring a link to recovery and rehabilitation) CAP project selection has been stricter this year.

JOINT NEEDS ASSESSMENT (JNA)

The Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) will provide an assessment of rehabilitation and transitional recovery needs for Somalia as well as a reconstruction and development plan for the country over the next five years.

The United Nations and World Bank supported by donors and undertaken jointly with Somali authorities coordinate the JNA. The preparatory phase of the JNA has begun. A series of consultations with all key stakeholders to define the JNA vision is complete and there is agreement on the Concept Note, endorsed by the TFG, which will be used as the JNA work plan. The assessment phase will begin following the JNA retreat in October and technical training completed around the six priority clusters (1) Governance, safety and the rule of law 2) Macro-economic policy framework and data development 3) Infrastructure 4) Social services and protection of vulnerable groups 5) Productive sectors and environment 6) Livelihoods and solutions for the displaced and the three crosscutting issues.) In addition to these six priority clusters, there will be three cross-cutting issues:

• Peace building, reconciliation and conflict prevention

• Capacity building and institutional development (public and private) plus anti corruption initiatives

• Gender parity and human rights

To ensure inclusive and substantive participation by Somalis in the JNA, it has been agreed that twelve eminent experts from the Somali Diaspora are to be selected by the Senior Technical Coordinators on their professional merit and competency to participate as international experts in the clusters. Secondly, that twelve representatives of the TFG, six representatives from Somaliland and additional representatives from other zones will also be selected to work with cluster teams. Six zonal coordinators will be selected, one from each of the six regional zones – Somaliland, Puntland, Central, West, South and Benadir. Finally that two consultative workshops are planned for each of the six zones to ensure a participatory process and through local ownership. More information 7th Floor,on developments Kalson Towers, relating Crescent to Street,the JNA off canPark belands found Road, at theP.O. website Box 28832, http://www.somali.-jna.org 00200 Nairobi, Kenya 6 Tel No: (254-20) 3754150-5; Fax No: (254-20) 3754150 LATEST DEVELOPMENTS …….TO BE FURTHER REPORTED ON IN OCTOBER’S UPDATE

The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged authorities in Somalia to bring to justice the people who killed a UN security officer in the port city of Kismayo in the first week of October. Mohamuud Muse Gurage, a Somali national, was walking toward his house from the UN offices when unidentified assailants shot him dead. It remains unclear what the motive was but the incident only underlines the continuing precarious and unpredictable operating environment in much of Somalia.

The UN/Resident Humanitarian Coordinator Mr Max Gaylard stated that an urgent need remains for a more comprehensive assessment of the natural environment of Somalia, which includes further investigations of alleged toxic waste sites on land and dumping of toxic waste at sea. Reports persist that international companies have taken advantage of the fact that the country has had no authoratative government for thirteen years and have been dumping waste off the country’s coast.

7th Floor, Kalson Towers, Crescent Street, off Parklands Road, P.O. Box 28832, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya 7 Tel No: (254-20) 3754150-5; Fax No: (254-20) 3754150