SOMALIA: Over 900,000 people in need of humanitarian help - FSAU

NAIROBI , 19 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - More than 900,000 people in Somalia will need immediate humanitarian assistance between September this year and January 2006, despite improvements in food security in some of the areas previously affected by drought, the Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSAU) said.

"We have estimated a total of 922,000 people in a state of humanitarian emergency or acute food and livelihood crisis," said Nicholas Haan, FSAU's technical adviser, following the release of the unit's annual food security analysis for Somalia on Friday.

Haan hastened to clarify that the report did not necessarily mean that the entire group needed food or money.

"It does not mean that those people all need food per se or even cash assistance. We are saying that 922,000 people are facing a humanitarian emergency or livelihood crisis and we need to think, collectively, about how to solve that problem.

"That might include food aid or cash assistance where appropriate, but it can also mean negotiation over market facilitation, transport facilitation, subsidies of some kind or livestock assistance,” Haan explained. "It does not necessarily mean direct resource transfer to a person,"

According to the FSAU analysis, rangeland and livestock conditions throughout the northern and central regions of Somalia had significantly improved following exceptionally good "Gu" (long) rains, but key agricultural areas in the south experienced delayed rains, extensive flooding and persistent insecurity leading to the worst Gu cereal harvest in a decade.

"Despite this improvement there is a considerable lag time for full recovery given the severity of the previous emergency, therefore the [northern and central] area is identified in a state of Acute Livelihood Crisis," said the report, which is based on a food security assessment conducted in collaboration the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) and over 20 partner agencies.

An estimated 200,000 of those in need were categorised as being in a state of humanitarian emergency. An estimated 345,000 others faced acute livelihood crisis and an additional 377,000 were internally displaced people (IDPs).

In the north, exceptionally good 2005 Gu rains that followed an above normal “Deyr” (short) 2004-2005 rains ended more than three years of drought and stimulated recovery in the pastoral sector.

The region's food security situation, therefore, improved from humanitarian emergency to acute livelihood crisis. Livestock recovery, however, has been slow given the cumulative animal deaths, reduced herd sizes, high level of indebtedness and extent of environmental degradation.

An estimated 31,000 destitute people in the north remained in a state of humanitarian emergency and required immediate assistance and livelihood support. These households were concentrated in pockets of urban areas and small towns throughout the region and had continued to suffer from acute malnutrition, near or complete asset depletion and high indebtedness, according to the report.

In the central region, pastoralists benefited from above-normal Gu rains that followed the good Deyr rains in 2004. Livestock holdings were gradually increasing, though malnutrition rates were still considered above the usual range for the region.

Unresolved conflicts and continuing tension in the northern parts of Galgadud and south Mudug had continued to distort markets and hinder the migration of pastoralists. An estimated 57,000 people in the area required livelihood support. The report noted that insecurity was bound to delay recovery.

In the south, previously defined areas in northern Gedo and the Juba riverine area remained in a state of humanitarian emergency, and in some parts the situation had even deteriorated.

Immediate humanitarian assistance was required for an estimated 53,000 people in Gedo and 116,000 people in Juba. In Gedo the situation was worsening due to below-normal Gu rains, increased cross-border market and trade disruptions and increased stress following the influx of IDPs from El Waq. The situation in Juba riverine area was deteriorating as a result of the May-June floods.

The whole of southern Somalia has been in an alert phase due to increasing tension and uncertainty caused by political divisions within the Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

"If widespread combat were to ensue it would have devastating effects on human lives and livelihoods," the report said.

"In addition to the overall Alert Phase, there are area-specific alerts, which include the areas bordering regional conflict affected areas of El Waq and Rab-Dhuure [all of Gabahare and Wajid districts and parts of Luuq, Hudur, Baidoa and El Barde Districts]."

The FSAU is funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Commission and implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The full report is available on: www.fsausomali.org

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