Geneva, December 30, 2006
As fighting in Somalia intensifies, ACT member Norwegian Church
Aid (NCA) is mobilising staff and resources to respond to the
displacement of people in the Gedo region. NCA is the only ACT member
and international aid agency present in Gedo region.
NCA has been reinforcing its operational capacity from Mandera (north
east of Kenya) and Garbaharrey in the Gedo region of Somalia to respond
to the worsening humanitarian situation during which thousands of
people have been displaced by recent clashes between Ethiopian forces
(aligned with the Somali Transitional Federal Government) and the
Islamic Courts Union.
Relief items, including plastic sheeting, blankets, cooking utensils
and household items, as well as water containers for up to 1,000 families
are being purchased and sent from Nairobi this week.
Inside Somalia, thousands of people fleeing the conflict are reported
to be caught in a desperate situation. NCA field staff in Garbaharrey
report that some 10,000 people have been displaced after fleeing the
fighting further south. People continue to arrive in the area and
are setting up camp in surrounding villages—a situation that is overwhelming
for the host communities. There are also reports of several thousand
people displaced in the Bay, Hirann, Mudug, Juba, and Shabelle regions.
Although no large-scale refugee movements from Somalia have yet been
recorded in neighbouring countries, ACT members in Kenya continue to
monitor the situation. NCA has so far allocated 250,000 Norwegian Kroner
($40,093 US) from its emergency fund and plans to request additional
support through the ACT Rapid Response Fund. NCA has also applied for
emergency funding through the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
to respond to this crisis.
