The situation in
Somalia continues to deteriorate and is among the worst in the world in humanitarian terms.
A growing number of towns and cities in the centre and south of the country have seen armed
clashes.
Fighting in the capital Mogadishu remains particularly intense.
Large numbers of civilians have been killed or wounded in crossfire and hundreds of thousands of people
have had to flee their homes.
Chronic drought is making their problems worse.
Meanwhile, the cost of living has soared, leaving many unable to buy food and other essentials.
ICRC assessment teams report that in several regions many displaced families are surviving on less than one meal a day and are having to spend more and more of their meagre income on drinking
water.
Many resident communities are struggling to give refuge to the increasing numbers of families fleeing the fighting.
(video: Surgeons fight for life) The ICRC helps to cover the running costs of the two
hospitals, and provides medical supplies, training and surgical staff.
Its surgical teams have also been helping out at other hospitals in conflict-prone regions of the country, which have
also received medical supplies.
Primary health
care
The ICRC has recently extended its support to five additional temporary Somali Red Crescent Society primary health-care clinics on the outskirts of Mogadishu that care for more than 200,000
displaced people who have fled the capital during the past months.
The 32 SRCS clinics in central and southern Somalia supported by the ICRC have carried out more than 142,500
consultations and 61,500 vaccinations since January.
Relief and emergency assistance
The ICRC has adapted its operations to focus on large-scale relief for displaced
families, their host communities and pastoralists affected by drought.
The organization is also helping people suffering because of the conflict and natural disasters through water and
sanitation projects, as well as livelihood programmes to increase agricultural production and raise incomes for communities and vulnerable groups particularly affected by the worsening humanitarian
situation.
Since January, the ICRC has distributed: Food rations for up to 4 months to more than 500,000 people.
The monthly rations consist of 12 kg of cereals, 4 kg of
beans and 2 litres of oil per person.
(video: The ICRC responds to the food crisis) Essential household items to 420,000
people including shelter materials, kitchen sets, blankets, mats, jerrycans and clothing.
Vegetable seed kits to 10,000 families, enabling them to eat a more varied diet.
Staple crop seeds to nearly 20,000 farming households relying on rain-fed agriculture.
Last year, over 800,000 people received essential household items in south and central
Somalia, in the areas around Mogadishu and in the northern Sool region.
Over 230,000 people forced to flee Mogadishu received a three-month food ration.
Tracing
Another
important part of the ICRC's work is re-establishing and maintaining contacts between family members separated by conflict.
Working with the Somali Red Crescent Society, the ICRC collected
almost 4,000 Red Cross Messages and distributed more than 9,700, many from outside the country.
The ICRC opened 130 tracing files in response to requests from people searching for members
of their families and issued 100 ICRC travel documents.
Family links The ICRC in Somalia
The ICRC has been in Somalia since 1977.
In 1982 it responded to the aftermath of the war between Ethiopia and Somalia.
In the early 1990s it conducted a major emergency assistance operation when civil war and devastating
climatic disasters led to famine.
Today, most of the ICRC’s operations take place in central and southern Somalia, where armed clashes continue and essential services are almost
inexistent.
The organization responds to Somalia’s complex emergencies through a broad spectrum of activities, aimed mainly at the rural population.
To function in this
difficult environment, the ICRC operates through a network of experienced and qualified national staff.
At the same time, the ICRC works in a close partnership with Somali Red Crescent
Society, aimed at extending the Society's capacities in the areas of health, relief and tracing.
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