UN concerned over humanitarian situation in Kismayo

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

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As rival clan militias continue to fight for the control of the southern Somali city of Kismayo, the United Nations expresses concern over the humanitarian situation there.

Hundreds of families are reportedly fleeing Kismayo as forces loyal to rival warlords who claim the leadership of a new state called Jubbaland clashed in June.

The violence left more than fifty people dead and many others seriously injured. Most of the injured were flown to Mogadishu.

The country’s premier says that dialogue is the only way to end the Kismayo standoff and has called on rival factions to immediately end hostilities and come together to solve the ongoing feud.

Currently there are several self-declared presidents for Jubbaland and the government says it recognizes none of them. It wants the groups to attend a meeting in Mogadishu to resolve the issue.

Human Rights Watch in its recent report said the militias fighting over Kismayo showed little apparent regard for the safety of the civilians around them.

The humanitarian crisis in Somalia is among the worst in the world. More than 1.1 million people are internally displaced and over a million Somalis live outside the country as refugees”.

In December 2012, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched a three year humanitarian appeal for Somalia where it hopes to target 3.8 million Somalis in need.

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