The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, has called on the international community to show support for Somalia, which is currently experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has also warned of the ongoing crisis faced by people displaced by violence from Somalia to Ethiopia. Violence in northern Somalia’s Lascanood city has pushed close to 100,000 people to flee to a remote area of Ethiopia’s Somali region in the past two months. Most of the refugees arriving from Somalia are women, children, and older people, including over 3,400 unaccompanied and separated children and adolescents. The relocation of some of the refugees is underway, with 1,036 of the most vulnerable people transferred from border areas to a new settlement over the past three days. The Ethiopian authorities are organizing transportation to the new site, located about 50 kilometers from the border in Mirqaan, Bokh district.
The government of Ethiopia has allocated 400 hectares where refugees can settle and access existing services, such as healthcare, water, and education. The UNHCR continues to engage with local authorities and leaders to assess gaps in basic services, so support benefits both refugees and Ethiopians as well. In March, the UNHCR and humanitarian partners launched a $116 million inter-agency emergency refugee response plan to respond to critical needs faced by refugees and host communities in the area. The situation has escalated at a time when people in the Sool Region are experiencing unprecedented water shortages due to severe drought and facing an elevated risk of disease outbreaks.
Speaking in Mogadishu, UN chief Mr. Guterres called for urgent funding for the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for the country, which is currently only 15 percent funded, adding that the Somali people deserve the solidarity of the international community.
