2500 displaced in South Somalia as security forces pullout

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

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UN and international humanitarian aid agencies in Somalia say thousands of families have been displaced in the southern town of Hudur massive pullout of security forces.

In its latest humanitarian bulletin on Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that in the month of March, 2,500 people fled Hudur in Bakool region after Ethiopian and Somali troops withdrew on the 17th of March.

The report says that aid agencies have only been able to distribute limited humanitarian supplies, mostly by air. Now the UN says it’s unable to reach out the needy families due to an economic blockade imposed by al-Shabaab fighters.

Humanitarian partners report that the livelihood programs in Bakool and Bay may be harmed by insecurity. Bay is one of the regions considered as a breadbasket for Somalia but humanitarian experts fear the planting and harvest season could be affected if the situation deteriorates.

The reports also noted that malnutrition levels are also of concern following a rapid assessment conducted in early April. The assessment showed high malnutrition rates among the assessed children, both among residents in Eel Barde and the newly displaced people.

Ethiopia, the strongest military power in the southwest region of Somalia, since the November 2011 invasion, has repeatedly said it wishes to withdraw its forces from Somalia. This as the African Union Mission in Mogadishu says that they are fully aware of the challenges posed by the recent pullout and that the AU has taken measures to prevent a vacuum.

Hudur's capture has been viewed as Al-Shabaab's most important territorial victory for over a year, as the group has lost all its major towns in south and central regions to allied forces.

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