The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that clan violence in the Luuq district of Somalia's Jubaland state has displaced at least 30,000 people from their homes since July. According to an OCHA situation report released on Wednesday, the security situation remains volatile despite ongoing peace negotiations, limiting access to people in uurgent need of humanitarian assistance.
According to humanitarian agencies on the ground, about half of the displaced have moved to sites outside Luuq town towards Yurkud and Ceelbon, and the others are inside Luuq town and in the Xero Kowad area, along the Doolow road. Luuq district is part of Gedo, an administrative region in Jubaland, southern Somalia.
At least 28 locations have been identified where affected people have been displaced, 16 of which are repeat displacements.
According to the UN humanitarian office, six people were killed in clashes on Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths since July, when the violence began, to nine. Throughout Luuq district, the security situation remains fluid despite ongoing peace negotiations facilitated by the authorities and traditional elders.
Newly displaced families are reportedly in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including shelter, water and sanitation, food, health, nutrition, and protection. About 3,000 of the displaced are reportedly dependent on the nearby river for water, putting them at risk of waterborne diseases.
There have already been reports of suspected cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) among children under five.
In its report, OCHA said insecurity is hampering humanitarian access, particularly in areas where non-state armed parties are present. Many of the displaced families do not have access to basic services, and education has been disrupted for many children.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Luuq district has been grappling for nearly four months with an unresolved triangular clan conflict involving the Reer Hassan and Gabaawayn clans on one side and the Macalin Wayne, a sub-clan of the Rahanweyn, on the other.
Despite political intervention at various levels to defuse tensions, this conflict has been ongoing since July 2024, and on Monday, a third wave of fighting erupted in the villages of Neefsoow and Bishaarow, further exacerbating the already tense situation.
In a flash alert on Tuesday, UNHCR warned that vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities, were particularly affected by these conflicts. Those displaced in the villages of Yurkud, Dhanaawe and Horma Liiban were currently without adequate shelter, living in open spaces and exposed to harsh weather conditions as they fled without their belongings or basic necessities.
As the situation remains highly volatile, there is a significant risk of further escalation, the UN agency said. Children are particularly vulnerable to restrictions on movement and forced recruitment into clan militias as inter-clan tensions remain unresolved, UNHCR warned.
Somalia's humanitarian crisis has faded from the headlines this year after a historic four-year drought ended in 2023, averting famine and bringing relief to millions of Somalis. But the country, plagued by conflict, displacement, food insecurity and climatic shocks, continues to face serious humanitarian and security challenges.
With at least 6.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance this year, the overall humanitarian situation in Somalia remains precarious. While inter-clan fighting forces thousands to flee their homes each year, threatening the lives and livelihoods of Somalis, the non-state armed group Al-Shabab remains the main security threat, targeting civilians and government forces.
The armed conflict between the Somali government and Al-Shabab continues to have a severe impact on civilians, who bear the brunt of the conflict in central and southern Somalia, while civilians are also caught up in inter-clan conflict.
To make matters worse, the country is extremely vulnerable to climate change, the effects of which continue to take their toll on the population. Changing climate patterns are exacerbating droughts, floods and desertification, leading to food insecurity, conflict over resources and displacement.
Somalia is still recovering from the historic drought between 2020 and 2023, followed by heavy rains and floods - the worst in decades - between October and December 2023 as a result of the El Niño phenomenon. In 2024, the Gu rainy season - April to June - put thousands of people at risk across the country.
Throughout Somalia, heavy rains and flash floods have led to loss of life and livelihoods, including livestock and farmland; damage to small businesses; destruction of infrastructure, including shelters, water sources, latrines and schools; as well as damage to roads.
Displacement remains widespread, with nearly 5 million people forced to flee their homes. Most of them are living in appalling conditions in displacement sites. Women and children make up more than 80 percent of the displaced population and face significant protection risks.
As of October 2024, an estimated 4.8 million Somalis have been displaced, mostly due to flooding, conflict and insecurity, and drought. Among those forced to flee are 3.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). More than 900,000 people have sought refuge in neighboring countries, the majority in Kenya (455,000) and Ethiopia (360,000).
The latest IPC acute food security analysis shows that 4.4 million people in Somalia are currently experiencing crisis levels of hunger (IPC3 or worse), with nearly 1 million people estimated to be in emergency levels (IPC 4). Millions of Somalis are at risk of increased food insecurity as below-average rainfall between October and December 2024, linked to the La Niña weather phenomenon, could reverse recent gains in food security.
The La Niña phenomenon is a climate pattern that typically follows El Niño. La Niña conditions are expected to prevail between October 2024 and February 2025, significantly affecting rainfall distribution and temperatures.
In addition, 1.6 million children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition, with 403,000 at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). United Nations agencies have warned that without immediate funding for humanitarian operations, Somalia could slide back into a severe hunger crisis.
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Somalia seeks US$1.6 billion to reach 5.2 million of the 6.9 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection this year. As of October 24, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Somalia is only 39 percent funded.
Further information
Full text: Somalia: Conflict in Luuq District, Jubaland State Flash Update No.1 (as of 23 October 2024), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, report, released October 23, 2024
https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-conflict-luuq-district-jubaland-state-flash-update-no1-23-october-2024
Full text: UNHCR Somalia Protection and Solutions Monitoring Network (PSMN) Flash Alert 17, UN Refugee Agency, report, released October 22, 2024
https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/111968