Drought and violence forces 25 percent of Somalis to live abroad - UN

Drought and violence forces 25 percent of Somalis to live abroad - UN

2011-07-08 21:46:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Friday urged international assistance due to the flood of Somali refugees into Ethiopia, which could overwhelm the ability of humanitarian agencies to help them.

Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for a more rapid and robust international response to the drought and displacement crisis in the Horn of Africa. A new camp in the area was opened several weeks ago, but it is already nearing its full capacity of 20,000 people, the UN noted.

"Urgent help is needed," Fleming stated. "The number of arrivals in the Dollo Ado area is outpacing registration capacity. Systems for meeting the food and health needs are close to buckling. Electricity for pumping water to camps is in short supply because overcast skies mean solar panels can't produce enough energy."

However, Fleming said that all the problems could be addressed if adequate resources are received, noting that some 54,000 Somalis had crossed into this area of Ethiopia since the beginning of the year.

Rates of arrival have accelerated in recent weeks to around 1,700 people per day; malnutrition rates are alarmingly high among the most recent arrivals; and at least 50 percent of children are either moderately or severely malnourished. Similar rates are being recorded in Kenya.

The drought crisis in the Horn of Africa is affecting Ethiopia, Kenya, and central and southern Somalia. However, in Somalia, its impact has been most pronounced. There, the fall in crop production has led to higher food prices, and the situation for the civilian population is further compounded by fighting between Somali Government forces and Al-Shabaab insurgents near the Kenya and Ethiopia borders.

Meanwhile, the High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, who visited the Dollo Ado area of south-east Ethiopia on Thursday, said humanitarian efforts were needed inside Somalia so that people did not have to leave the country to receive help, but conflicts there prevented this from happening.

In the neighboring country of Kenya, some 1,400 new Somali refugees continue to arrive in Dadaab refugee complex every day, Fleming said. In addition, 80 percent of them are women and children, she noted.

Malnutrition rates among Somali children under the age of five arriving in Dadaab are around 30 percent, while a quarter of Somalia's 7.5 million population is estimated to currently being internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees.

"Our top priorities are to address the malnutrition and overcrowding in the camps. There is an urgent need for medical staff and nutritional items such as high energy and high protein therapeutic meals," she stated, adding that the main challenge is to receive and rapidly stabilize Somali refugees arriving in extremely poor health conditions.

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