SOMALIA: Close to a million in need of aid, says new UN report

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

NAIROBI, 18 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Some 919,000 people in Somalia are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, with nearly 200,000 in a state of humanitarian emergency, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) for Somalia reported.

In its monthly briefing on 10 August, FSAU said an estimated 343,000 people faced acute livelihood crises, while the war-scarred nation had 377,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).

FSAU noted, however, that in northern and central regions of the country, two exceptionally good rain seasons - the Deyr 2004/5, between November and March, and the Gu 2005, between April and June - had ended more than three consecutive years of drought. Nevertheless, the agency said it would take a considerable amount of time before full recovery was achieved.

Despite an increase in the overall number of people in need of assistance, the number of those in a state of humanitarian emergency had decreased from 275,000 in FSAU's 2004/5 post-Deyr assessment, to 197,000 in its 2005 post-Gu analysis.

In central Somalia, unresolved conflict and continuing tension in northern parts of Galgadud and South Mudug continued to distort markets and hinder the migration of pastoralists.

FSAU said the southern areas of Gedo - which had experienced an influx of IDPs from troubled El-Waaq on the Kenya-Somalia border - and Juba riverine - which was devastated by crop-destroying floods in May and June - remained in a state of chronic humanitarian emergency.

The agency said all of southern Somalia was in an "alert phase" due to tension resulting from political divisions within the country's Transitional Federal Government.

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

FSAU said in most regions of Somalia, malnutrition remained substantially higher than internationally accepted norms.

[ENDS]