Insecurity persists in Somalia, with attacks by extremist group Al-Shabaab and fighting in the Laascaanood (Las Anod) region taking a heavy toll on civilians, the UN envoy for the country told the UN Security Council on Thursday. While humanitarian needs in Somalia remain high, improved access to water and pasture has alleviated the impact of the severe and protracted historic drought, she said.
Catriona Laing, the UN special envoy for Somalia and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), briefed the Security Council on the situation in Somalia Thursday, noting that conflicts in Somalia continue to take a heavy toll on civilians.
Laing pointed out that last year saw the largest increase in civilian casualties since 2017, and early data indicate a similar trend in 2023, with 1,289 civilian casualties recorded so far. She said that this was partly attributable to Al-Shabaab attacks, but also the conflict in Laascaanood. The UN special envoy also reported that the military campaign against the extremist Al-Shabaab group in central Somalia faced setbacks.
“Despite initial success when the Somali National Army and allied clan militias took significant territory, there have been setbacks and operational challenges have been faced since. Government forces are focused on regrouping, reinforcing, and reorganizing, as well as mobilizing additional support from clans, before resuming large-scale operations.”
The conflict in Laascaanood in Somalia's Sool region, that began in February this year, escalated on August 25 when the Dhulbahante militia advanced toward the town of Oog.
“Currently, the situation is calm, and people are returning home. However, the potential for a relapse into violence cannot be ruled out”, the UN envoy said.
Laing emphasized that the humanitarian crisis in Somalia remains deeply concerning, with close to 4 million people continuing to be food insecure and in need of assistance.
According to the latest IPC analysis, some 3.7 million people - 22 percent of Somalia’s population - are food insecure (crisis level or worse), including 1.5 million children under the age of 5 who are likely to face acute malnutrition through July 2024, with 330,000 children facing severe malnutrition.
“The situation is projected to deteriorate further from mid-October to December, mainly due to the enhanced Deyr rains exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon expected to cause flash and riverine floods in large parts of the country”, Laing said
After a historic drought that ended in 2023, Somalia now braces for El Niño rains. A strong El Niño phenomenon is expected to generate above-average rainfalls, triggering severe riverine and flash floods in southern and central Somalia. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that up to 1.2 million people could be affected and 1.5 million hectares of land might be at high risk of inundation.
The number of food-insecure people is likely to rise to 4.3 million, including more than 1 million under IPC phase 4 (emergency) and 3.3 million under phase 3 (crisis).
However, El Niño may also increase food production and improve water availability. Better access to water and pasture has already alleviated the extended impact of the severe and protracted drought. However, humanitarian needs in Somalia remain high due to persistent climatic and environmental shocks, conflict, displacement, widespread poverty, and disease outbreaks.
An estimated 3.8 million Somalis are internally displaced, and about 700,000 people have fled to neighboring countries. Displaced people have the most severe needs, given that they are often unable to meet their basic needs and face significant protection concerns. In the first nine months of 2023, conflict, severe drought and devastating floods have forced more than 1.4 million people in Somalia to flee their homes – a record rate of displacement for the country.
While humanitarian assistance reached 6.3 million people so far this year, millions of people continue to battle hunger on a daily basis. An estimated 8.25 million people, nearly half of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.
Laing stressed that it is essential that to scale up programs that tackle the underlying drivers of the humanitarian crisis and integrate humanitarian response with longer-term climate adaptation.
Critical is also the funding of the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia, which seeks more than $2.6 billion to meet the needs of 7.6 million people. Currently, the plan is only 39.4 percent funded, and aid agencies are having to prioritize the most vulnerable in areas with the greatest severity of needs.
“I call on all of Somalia’s friends to increase the much-needed funding and to do so without delay”, the UN envoy said.
Further information
Full text: Statement by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Catriona Laing to the Security Council on the situation in Somalia, UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), released October 19, 2023
https://unsom.unmissions.org/statement-special-representative-secretary-general-catriona-laing-security-council-situation-0
Full text: Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia (S/2023/758), UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), published October 13, 2023
https://unsom.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/sg_report_on_somalia_13_october_2023_0.pdf