Rains displace hundreds in Somaliland

HARGEISA, 27 April 2010 (IRIN) - At least 200 families have been displaced and 185 houses destroyed following heavy rains and strong winds, which also killed six people in Hargeisa, capital of the semi-autonomous Somaliland region, officials said.

Some 2,500 people have been displaced in all, according to the Red Crescent. The worst-affected areas were the southern Hargeisa districts of Ahmed Dhagah, Mohamed Moge and Mohamoud Haybe.

"One of my sister's children aged about six passed away when the house fell on him," Fathiya Omar, a resident of Sinai settlement in Hargeisa's Ahmed Dhagah District, told IRIN.

"At about two in the afternoon, on [23 April], we suddenly saw something like a dark cloud covering our whole settlement. Within minutes, it had taken all our houses' roofs off," Hodo Ahmed, 25, who lives in the October settlement of Mohamoud Haybe District, said.

About 94 families are displaced in Ahmed Dhagah, the district commissioner, Khadar Yusuf Ali, said.

Officials are worried there could be further displacement in the Dami Dam Internally Displaced Persons settlement, in Hargeisa, due to continuing rains.

"Our houses are full of water," Asha Mohamoud, said in Dami Dam.

According to the Ministry of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Re-integration, household items and plastic tents worth US$35,000 have been distributed. The UN World Food Programme has also supplied food aid to the affected.

Some residents complained of a lack of assistance, however. "I am a mother of 12 and for the last two nights we have slept outside. We have not received any help... we are waiting for Allah's support," Nimo Hassan told IRIN on 26 April.

maj/aw/am
[END]

Where fun is forbidden

NAIROBI, 27 April 2010 (IRIN) - Living in a war-torn city is hard enough for Mogadishu's youngsters, but even those few opportunities for entertainment they used to enjoy have now been banned.

Listening to music, watching football or films can earn one up to 30 lashes from the enforcers who patrol neighbourhoods checking for "un-Islamic" behaviour.

"We cannot watch our favourite teams, go to a movie or do anything that young people our age do," said Loyaan Lugacade, 17, who lives in an area controlled by the militant Al-Shabab group.

The Hisbul Islam group on 3 April issued an edict claiming that playing music was un-Islamic, forcing 14 of the city's 16 broadcasters to replace jingles with recorded gunfire, croaking frogs and crowing cockerels. [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88805]

Its announcement was nothing new to Lugacade and his friends. "For six months fun was forbidden to us. Now the rest of the city is joining us," he told IRIN.

Lugacade said the only time they could watch a football match or a film was clandestinely, at friends' houses in areas not controlled by the insurgents.

"If you are caught you get lashed up to 30 times," he said.

Faradheere A'day, 18, wants to watch his favourite football team, Arsenal, but not in his neighbourhood, which is controlled by insurgents, who consider it un-Islamic.

"Imagine being denied doing the most harmless things in the world! I don't want to hurt or kill anyone. I just want to play and watch football."

A'day was caught watching a film with friends and had to flee the enforcers to avoid being caned. "I have seen people who got lashed and it is not a pretty sight, so I run," he told IRIN.

There is not much entertainment for young people in the war-torn city, aside from films and sport. The two Islamist groups have been fighting government troops, who are supported by African Union peacekeepers, in and around Mogadishu, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians.

"Movies and football used to be the only avenue of fun available to them. Now that is closed. Having fun in this town is illegal," said a local journalist.

He said the insurgents were not winning many converts among the youth with their decrees. "I don't think many of the youth will be lining up to join them."

A'day said he and his friends gathered in their neighbourhoods to talk about "things like football or movies. At least talking is not forbidden - for now anyway."

ah/mw[END]

Journalists under fire

NAIROBI, 21 April 2010 (IRIN) - There are few countries in the world more dangerous to be a journalist than Somalia, where nine were killed in 2009, and 22 since 2005.

Only Iraq ranks higher on the Committee to Protect Journalists' Impunity Index a list of countries where murders of media professionals are frequent and are not investigated.

Faced with constant threats and intimidation, many Somali journalists  have fled into exile; those that remain live in constant fear of attack. There is a widespread concern the country's relatively new free press could soon vanish altogether.

Independent media only emerged in Somalia after President Siyad Barre's government collapsed amid civil war in 1991, putting an end to state control of news.

"In the beginning it was if we have been liberated: you could write and say what you wanted without worrying about the government arresting you," said Mohamed Abdulkadir, a veteran journalist who launched a newspaper when Barre fell.

Abdulkadir said journalists were not targeted in the early years of the civil war. "No one threatened or harassed us. But now things have changed."

"The worst abuses began in 2006," he said, explaining this was the year Islamists in the form of the Union of Islamic Courts seized power in Mogadishu, prompting Ethiopia to send in troops to back the ousted transitional government.

Daud Abdi Daud, who heads an organization that fights for the rights of journalists and is currently based in Nairobi, said: "Since 2005, 22 journalists and people from the media have been killed in Somalia; in 2009 alone nine journalists were killed."

He said more than 150 Somali journalists were currently in exile. "Those left in Mogadishu are in hiding."

Omar Faruk Osman, a journalist based in Mogadishu, has been arrested, intimidated and harassed more times than he cares to remember - for doing his job.

Osman, the secretary-general of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUJOS), and the president of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), told IRIN: "I have been arrested in Belet-Weyn, Jowhar, and three times in Mogadishu. Being arrested has almost become part of a reporter's life in Somalia but now we are being killed because of our profession."

He said this was the reason why many others were in exile. "They did not choose to be in exile; they have been forced into it."

Media outlets closed

As fear of an all out war between the internationally-backed troops of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Islamist insurgents grows, so does the pressure on journalists to take sides.

On 3 April, Hizbul-Islam, one of the most prominent insurgent groups, ordered Mogadishu radio stations to stop playing music . Many complied. The TFG reacted by ordering the four stations based in the area it controls to stop broadcasting altogether.

Although it quickly rescinded the move, journalists were left feeling squeezed.

"We are getting it from both sides. All sides want to use the media as their mouthpiece." said Faruk.

The insurgents' attitude is: "You are either with us or against us. But we are with the people and our job is to report what is happening not what one side wants," he said.

Osman said important gains made during the past 20 years by the private and independent and free media "is on the verge of being lost" as Islamists have closed down most media outlets in the southern areas they control.
The Mogadishu media is under assault from all sides, he added, calling on the international community to show support and solidarity with the media. "Up to now all we have seen is lip service."

He said it is to the credit of a few brave journalists still in the city that the media is still operating. "The real heroes are those still in Mogadishu under the gun, but working."

Danger

Ali Sheikh Yassin, deputy chairman of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organization (EHRO), told IRIN that journalists were in even "more danger now than at any time in the past".

"In the past they used to be warned but now they are just killed," Yassin said.

"Unfortunately, many of the radio stations will not be able to operate. The current environment is very dangerous. There is a real possibility that private, independent media will cease to exist," said Yassin.

"There will be no one to report the daily atrocities and the humanitarian crisis their [insurgents'] activities create," he added, noting that parties to the conflict would welcome the added impunity.

"Without the independent media and the brave journalists, no one would know about the suffering of the Somali people and what is really happening to them."

ah/am/cb

[END]

Minister urges WFP to release food from Mogadishu stores

NAIROBI, 19 April 2010 (IRIN) - Somalia's government has asked the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to release food stocks in Mogadishu for distribution to hundreds of thousands of needy internally displaced persons (IDPs), Interior Minister Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar told IRIN on 19 April.

"I made the request a few weeks ago and up to now we have had no response; life for the people in the camps [mainly on the outskirts of Mogadishu] is getting worse every day," Omar said, adding: "Many families have already run out of food."

He said WFP food should be distributed to them "instead of being locked in a store. People are hungry, yet we have food in stores."

The minister said the Transitional Federal Government would provide security in areas under its control and the food would get to those most in need.

"There should be no fear that this food will be used for anything other than to help the displaced and those most in need," he said.

The country faces a serious humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 3.2 million people, roughly 42 percent of the population, in need of emergency humanitarian assistance and/or livelihood support until June 2010, according to UN agencies.

Two Islamist groups have been fighting government troops, who are supported by African Union peacekeeping troops, in and around Mogadishu, causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. In the past few months, the government has been reported to be planning an offensive against the insurgents, but this is yet to happen.

Omar urged WFP to respond urgently. "I hope our partners will listen to our call in order to mitigate the suffering of the people."

However, WFP spokesman Peter Smerdon said distributing all its food stocks in Mogadishu "would only mean that WFP would have no food left to continue ongoing distributions to those most in need in the capital. In addition, WFP would have no food to respond in the event of increased needs caused by any upsurge in fighting."

He said WFP was providing daily hot meals to 80,000 mainly women and children at 16 locations across the city.

An additional 20,000 people in Mogadishu are targeted for regular food assistance by WFP, predominantly through nutrition programmes, he said.

Insecurity

"Our efforts to increase our work in Mogadishu are hampered by insecurity. In the first two weeks of this month, two missions by WFP staff from Nairobi had to be postponed because of insecurity."

A civil society source in Mogadishu, who requested anonymity, told IRIN that while it was clear that the IDPs needed immediate help, the provision of security during food distribution remained a challenge.

The source said there was no question that the need was greater now than at any time in the past, "and people particularly in the IDP camps and parts of the city are going hungry."

The situation has deteriorated since aid agencies have reduced their presence or "completely withdrew from the camps", the source said, adding that a new way has to be found to help those in need and protect those helping. "The current situation is obviously not working."

The source appealed to the insurgents and the government "to allow unfettered access to those in need".

ah/cb[END]

HIV education goes to school

HARGEISA, 15 April 2010 (PLUSNEWS) - A new programme is targeting about 800 primary and junior high school students in northwestern Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland with HIV/AIDS messages for the first time.

"The children's ages range from seven to 19. Of course, most of them are not sexually active now - we targeted them for several reasons ... every student comes from a family and he will pass the message to his family. Also, they are the next generation at high risk of HIV," said Mohamoud Hassan Abdillahi, executive director of Somaliland Health and Social Care Organization (SOHASCO).

The messages, which SOHASCO hopes will eventually raise awareness in thousands of people, included information on how HIV is transmitted and how to prevent infection, as well as the extent of the epidemic in Somaliland; an estimated 1.4 percent of people are infected.

"I was only aware of sexual intercourse transmission of the disease, but now I know three ways that HIV/AIDS is transmitted - illegal sexual intercourse, giving blood to someone without checking, as well as using sharp elements such as the knives, used in traditional operations," said Abdirasak Hussein Hashi, 19, of Sheikh Bashir primary/intermediate school.

HIV advocates have praised the campaign but many local people are less pleased that their children are being introduced to sexual matters at such a young age.

"I don't like students to be taught about HIV/AIDS; when they reach the mature age, they have to be instructed in Islam [so as] not to do the behaviours of high risk, such as adultery," said Ali Jama Abdi, father of a child. "In our religion it is not allowed for children to be taught what is considered as shameful."

According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), policies to reduce the vulnerability of children and young people to HIV cannot be implemented without the full cooperation of the education sector.

Although some of SOHASCO's messages could be perceived as stigmatising people living with HIV by their use of terms like "illegal sex", "immorality" and "adultery" to describe how HIV is transmitted, this is the only acceptable way of passing on such information in conservative, Muslim Somaliland. Messages intended to reduce stigma were also included.

"Our slogans were carrying messages like, 'Stop HIV/AIDS', 'HIV/AIDS is very dangerous to every human being, including whites, blacks and Muslims', 'Abstinence is the best way of avoiding HIV/AIDS' and 'Together we can stop HIV/AIDS'," Abdillahi said.

SOHASCO said teachers also experienced difficulties. "The teachers know about HIV/AIDS, but their problem is that they do not have the materials, and the subject is not in the syllabus," said Hassan Jama Abdillahi, principal of Gacma-Dheere School. "It [HIV education] is a crucial step that obliges us to protect our youth from the dangers of this disease."

According to the Somaliland National AIDS Commission, an HIV education syllabus is being drafted and will be included in school curriculums by the end of 2010.

maj/kr/he[END]

Floods near Jowhar displace hundreds, destroy crops

NAIROBI, 13 April 2010 (IRIN) - Hundreds of people have been displaced and at least 7,000 hectares of newly sown crops destroyed by floods after a river burst its banks in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region, local officials told IRIN.

The worst flooding occurred near the town of Jowhar, 90km north of Mogadishu, where the River Shabelle burst its banks.

"In Mandeere village [10km southeast of Jowhar] alone, some 850 families [about 5,100 people] were affected; we are completely surrounded by water," Ali Haji Hamud, a member of the village council, told IRIN on 13 April.

"The river burst its banks and destroyed our crops. We lost about 4,000 hectares of crops. We were hoping for a good harvest, but now I am not sure we will be able to salvage anything."

The most common crops grown in the area are maize, sesame and cowpeas.

Hamud said residents had stemmed the flooding with sandbags thanks to help from the Islamist administration in Jowhar and a local NGO. "For now we are safe but cut off," he said. "We are accessible by boat only."

Isse Ahmed Nur, an elder in Bulo Ahmed, 18km northeast of Jowhar and one of the worst affected villages, told IRIN some 3,500 hectares of farmland were washed away by the floods. "We are trying to stop the flooding but we are fighting a losing battle."

He said the community was not getting any help. "No one is here to help."

Abukar Abdulahi Tifow, the country director of the Women and Child Care Organization (WOCCA), a local NGO, said the whole area around Jowhar had been affected.

"The danger has not passed as the river water is still high and more rain is expected," Tifow said.

He said the worst affected areas were Mandeere, Bulo Ahmed and Huriwa villages, with a combined estimated population of 2,000 families (about 12,000 people). Some people had been forced to move to higher ground.

No preparations

An aid worker who requested anonymity told IRIN there was some flooding in the Jowhar area but the situation had not reached "alarming levels yet", but he warned that as the rain intensified there was "a serious likelihood that the flooding situation would get worse".

In the past, aid agencies used to prepare for the `Gu' rainy season (April-June) but there were no preparations this time.

"Aid agencies are no longer in the area due to insecurity and so there is no preparedness and this is the biggest worry," the aid worker said, adding that lack of proper management of the irrigation system since the collapse of the national government in 1991 had exacerbated the situation.

With no aid agencies to help there had been little de-silting of the riverbed or proper management of the gates on rivers or adjoining canals. Farmers have eroded the river bank in an effort to irrigate their fields and "unfortunately, are contributing to the problem", the aid worker said.

ah/cb[END]

Weekly Humanitarian Issue 14 9- 16 April 2010

Key Overall Developments
Mogadishu
On 12 April, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG)/ African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces
clashed with insurgents in different areas in Mogadishu. More than 20 civilians were killed and another 76
were injured following heavy shelling. The clashes started when five mortar rounds were fired by the
insurgents in the direction of the airport and Villa Somalia (the presidential palace). The TFG/AMISOM
forces at Villa Somalia returned fire against insurgent positions in Hawlwadag and Yaqshid districts hitting
civilian residential areas.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, expressed dismay over the shelling. In a
press statement issued on 13 April, he stated "I am deeply disturbed by the plight facing civilians in
Mogadishu, who are caught amidst the warring parties. This latest incident follows on the heels of one of
the most injurious months for Mogadishu residents," said Mr. Bowden. In March, more than 900 civilians
were wounded as a direct result of the conflict in Mogadishu. More than 100 of the injuries were children
under the age of five. The HC reiterated the call for all parties to the conflict to comply with the
requirements clearly laid down in International Humanitarian Law to protect civilian populations against the
indiscriminate use of arms, particularly in densely populated areas.
As of 16 April, UNHCR estimated that 99,200 people had been displaced from Mogadishu, since 1
February, with a total of 59,200 people having left the city. Another 30,600 people have been displaced
within Mogadishu. The displacement figures of 7,600 people during the first two weeks of April indicate that
movements out of the city are slowing down.
Two INGO staff killed by a Mine in Somaliland
On 12 April, two national staff died and two other were injured when an Anti-Tank Mine detonated hitting a
vehicle belonging to HALO TRUST International (an INGO mine-clearing organization) in a mine field
approximately 160 kms southeast of Hargeysa in Togdheer region.
Good rains in many parts of Somalia
According Somalia Rain Watch report issued 15 April by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network,
early Gu 2010 rains have been received in parts of southern Somalia and pockets of the Northwest. From
1-10 April, Lower Juba, parts of Gedo and Bakool, Awdal, and Sanaag regions received initial light to
moderate rains (10-25mm) in several areas. In February and March good rains were also received in most
parts of Somalia. As a result of the good rains, water catchments and underground water storage facilities
have been replenished in many parts leading to a reduction in water prices (up to 80% in Sool region).
However, water scarcity persists in Galgaduud, Mudug and Sanaag regions.
During the last week, heavy rains were received in Hiraan, Lower Shabelle and Lower/Middle Juba
regions. Reports from the Juba and Shabelle river catchments in Ethiopia indicate heavy rains there as
well. This has consequently resulted into increased river levels along the two rivers in Somalia. However,
the levels are still below the flood risk. Field reports indicate flash floods in some parts of Gedo region.
Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) cases
In week 14 (5-11 April), Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu reported 100 cases of cholera, a slight increase
when compared with week 13 (96 cases). Of the 100 cases, 83 were children under five years, with one
related death. Since 4 January, 1,335 cases have been reported from the hospital. For the same period,
137 AWD cases were reported from seven districts in Lower and Middle Juba regions. Of the 137 cases,
78 percent (107) were children under five years, with no related deaths. WHO is calling on health partners
to respond to the current situation, in light of seasonal outbreaks in the past years.
Correction: In last week Humanitarian Bulletin dated 9 April, the timeframe for reported AWD cases was
incorrect. There were 526 AWD cases cumulatively for the first 12 weeks of the year and 660 cases by 13
weeks. It was not 660 cases during the week, up from 526 cases the previous week as was reported.
Response
Food aid
Since WFP suspended its operations in most parts of Southern Somalia in early January, the agency has
been trying to deliver food aid to Afgooye IDP Corridor. Last week, WFP succeeded in its third attempt and
four WFP trucks were allowed access to the area. A total of 55 metric tones of food commodities reached
Afgooye for the nutrition programme.This is the second successful delivery since January 2010.
WFP has agreed to provide UNICEF with 1,000 metric tones of corn soya blend (CSB) to support to
UNICEF's nutrition programmes in the south over a period of six months. The humanitarian community has
been concerned about the nutrition status of the most vulnerable population in Southern Somalia after
WFP pulled out.
WFP and partners distributed 133 metric tones of assorted food commodities to 18,846 beneficiaries (50%
women) under General Food Distribution in Caldera District, Galgaduud region.
WFP fielded a mission to South Mudug region for a site assessment to establish a new strategic food
delivery point. This point will provide storage facilities for food supplies intended for the central regions.
The agency intends to eventually create a beach port as an alternative entry point for food and other
humanitarian assistance into central Somalia. This is urgently needed since Central Somalia is the
epicentre of the humanitarian crisis in Somalia following six consecutive seasons of failed rains. Around 70
percent of populations in the two central regions of Galgaduud and Mudug are in need of humanitarian
assistance or livelihood support.
Health
WHO and Muslim Aid provided treatment to 12 suspected measles cases. This follows a joint investigation
after cases were reported in Kismayo district in Lower Juba region. Nearly al the cases were children
under five years. WHO is urging partners in the region, especially in the district of Kismayo and Jamaame,
to accelerate routine vaccination activities.
During the reporting period, monitoring activities continued along the Juba River after the water levels were
reported to have risen considerably. WHO and health partners are undertaking preparedness plans to
include preventive measures from vector and waterborne diseases.

Floods near Jowhar displace hundreds, destroy crops

NAIROBI, 13 April 2010 (IRIN) - Hundreds of people have been displaced and at least 7,000 hectares of newly sown crops destroyed by floods after a river burst its banks in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region, local officials told IRIN.

The worst flooding occurred near the town of Jowhar, 90km north of Mogadishu, where the River Shabelle burst its banks.

"In Mandeere village [10km southeast of Jowhar] alone, some 850 families [about 5,100 people] were affected; we are completely surrounded by water," Ali Haji Hamud, a member of the village council, told IRIN on 13 April.

"The river burst its banks and destroyed our crops. We lost about 4,000 hectares of crops. We were hoping for a good harvest, but now I am not sure we will be able to salvage anything."

The most common crops grown in the area are maize, sesame and cowpeas.

Hamud said residents had stemmed the flooding with sandbags thanks to help from the Islamist administration in Jowhar and a local NGO. "For now we are safe but cut off," he said. "We are accessible by boat only."

Isse Ahmed Nur, an elder in Bulo Ahmed, 18km northeast of Jowhar and one of the worst affected villages, told IRIN some 3,500 hectares of farmland were washed away by the floods. "We are trying to stop the flooding but we are fighting a losing battle."

He said the community was not getting any help. "No one is here to help."

Abukar Abdulahi Tifow, the country director of the Women and Child Care Organization (WOCCA), a local NGO, said the whole area around Jowhar had been affected.

"The danger has not passed as the river water is still high and more rain is expected," Tifow said.

He said the worst affected areas were Mandeere, Bulo Ahmed and Huriwa villages, with a combined estimated population of 2,000 families (about 12,000 people). Some people had been forced to move to higher ground.

No preparations

An aid worker who requested anonymity told IRIN there was some flooding in the Jowhar area but the situation had not reached "alarming levels yet", but he warned that as the rain intensified there was "a serious likelihood that the flooding situation would get worse".

In the past, aid agencies used to prepare for the `Gu' rainy season (April-June) but there were no preparations this time.

"Aid agencies are no longer in the area due to insecurity and so there is no preparedness and this is the biggest worry," the aid worker said, adding that lack of proper management of the irrigation system since the collapse of the national government in 1991 had exacerbated the situation.

With no aid agencies to help there had been little de-silting of the riverbed or proper management of the gates on rivers or adjoining canals. Farmers have eroded the river bank in an effort to irrigate their fields and "unfortunately, are contributing to the problem", the aid worker said.

ah/cb[END]

IOM Initiates Two-Year HIV/AIDS Awareness Programme Aimed at Vulnerable Populations in Somalia

IOM is launching a new programme aimed at increasing HIV/AIDS awareness among vulnerable populations and de-stigmatizing HIV in Somalia.

The programme, which is funded through UNICEF by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, will be carried out in Somaliland, Puntland and South Central Somalia in partnership with UNICEF, the three AIDS commissions in Somalia, and local partners.

As part of the USD 1,7 million programme, community awareness and stigma reduction activities will be carried out to reduce the incidence of HIV among key populations at higher risk of infection, including vulnerable women, truck drivers, khat and tea sellers, uniformed services, internally displaced people (IDPs), migrants, and at-risk youth.

The programme will target transit areas associated with increased HIV risk behaviour, such as truck stops, ports, and border areas.

IOM will also provide grants to local non-governmental organizations to expand their capacity to coordinate services and respond to HIV and AIDS. The adult HIV prevalence in Somalia is estimated at around one percent.

"During the past two years, IOM has completed innovative and groundbreaking research in close partnership with the Somali AIDS Commissions, UN, and local partners. "Together we have provided documentation that has led to a substantial reshaping of the national response towards key population groups", said Ashraf El Nour, the Regional Representative for IOM in East and Central Africa.

The programme is the result of a two-year research phase carried out by IOM in partnership with UNAIDS, WHO, UNDP, UNICEF, and the Somali AIDS Commissions in identifying the needs of those groups at higher risk of HIV infection.

For more information contact Kelsi Kriitmaa, Health Programme Officer, IOM Nairobi tel: 254 20 444 4174 x160, Email: kkriimaa@iom.int or visit http://nairobi.iom.int/projects_mobile_HIV.htm Copyright © IOM. All rights reserved.

Pirates target food, pushing up prices

NAIROBI, 12 April 2010 (IRIN) - Pirates operating off Somalia's coast have started targeting vessels operated by Somali businessmen and carrying food - something which is leading to higher food prices in Mogadishu, according to traders.

"Up until a few weeks ago, they [pirates] avoided hijacking ships carrying cargo for Somali businesses but now it is different," Abdinasir Aw Kombe, a businessman whose boat was hijacked, told IRIN on 12 April.

He said pirates had hijacked nine vessels mostly carrying food in the last few weeks. He suspected the pirates would use the vessels to hijack other ships.

Owners of vessels used to ferry food to Somalia "are refusing to carry our goods", Kombe said. "This has created shortages of basic goods, such as rice, flour and sugar."

According to the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, [http://www.fsausomali.org] a food security watchdog, more than 50 percent of the food consumed in the country is commercially imported.

The Unit said in its 2009/2010 post-`Deyr' (short rains from October to December) report that 542,000 tons of cereals were imported in 2009, of which 119,000 was food aid, while 423,000 was commercial.

Somalia faces a serious humanitarian crisis, with 42 percent of the population - an estimated 3.2 million people - in need of emergency humanitarian assistance and/or livelihood support until June 2010, according to UN agencies.

Kombe said tons of commodities meant for Mogadishu were sitting in Dubai warehouses for lack of transport. "We are paying warehouse charges and this ultimately adds to the cost," he said.

Prices up

Abdi Moalim, a food importer, said the prices of most food items had gone up.

"In March [2010], before the [food-targeted] hijackings, a 50kg bag of sugar cost US$30, today it is $34; wheat flour was selling at $18 [per 50kg bag] and now is selling at $22. The cost of a 50kg bag of rice is $28, compared to $25 in early March," he said.

Mogadishu has been the focus of fighting between government troops and insurgents opposed to the Transitional Federal Government.

Civil society activist Asha Sha'ur said the shortages and the consequent price increases are affecting the very poor.

"Everything is going up - rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil," she said, adding that many of the poor could barely afford to buy the basics. "Now they are being told to pay even more. The hijackings and the price increases are only adding to the woes of the very poor."

Sha'ur said lack of food aid, coupled with the current price increases, was making life even harder for Mogadishu residents.

"It seems that everything is conspiring against them. Even a small increase in prices erodes their capacity to buy the food they need. I don't know how many more knocks we can take."

Daily hot meals

As Mogadishu residents grapple with the price increases, aid agencies continue to offer some support to the most vulnerable.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was "providing daily hot meals to 80,000 mainly women and children at 16 locations across the city."

WFP spokesman Marcus Prior said: "In addition, other mainly nutritional activities reach nearly 20,000 vulnerable people on a regular basis with food rations."

Ali Mohamed Siyad, chairman of Mogadishu's Bakara market traders, told IRIN pirate attacks were severing their sole lifeline. "If they continue attacking our ships they will completely cut our lifeline," he said.

Siyad said the worlds' navies were "a stone's throw away" from the Somali coast but were doing nothing to stop the criminals. "Sometimes I wonder if they [international forces] care whether our food is hijacked or not."

ah/cb[END]

When a low profile is key to survival

EASTLEIGH, 12 April 2010 (IRIN) - Asha Abdul*, a single mother of five, can put up with the rubbish and appalling roads connecting the modern shopping malls in Eastleigh, a suburb east of Nairobi's central business district, as long as she is not questioned about her status in Kenya.

"Sisi ni Waria [Swahili for 'we are Somalis']; we don't like attracting attention to ourselves by complaining about poor services," Abdul said on 7 April as she fried samosas for sale outside her house in Eastleigh.

She had just paid Ksh1,500 (US$20), required of every tenant on her street, to pay some young men to deliver two lorry loads of stones to cover the dilapidated road outside their homes.

"If we don't pay these young men to bring the stones, then the muddy water flows into our homes, especially when there is heavy rain," Abdul said. "With the stones in place, then we can cross the road and go about our business while the children can get to school."

Abdul fled the Somali capital, Mogadishu, two years ago to escape fighting between government troops and Islamist insurgents who are opposed to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government.

Since her arrival in Eastleigh, she has not registered with either the Kenyan government or the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Her husband abandoned her and the children and she started making samosas and bhajias to survive.

"Many residents of Eastleigh prefer to just pay for these things - water, road repair - to avoid the hassle, instead of complaining to the city council," Abdul said.

Abdul is one of the estimated 46,000-plus unregistered refugees living in Nairobi, who, due to their unclear legal status, continue to suffer police harassment, lack of protection, violation of their human rights and discrimination.

"Overlooked"

Choice Ufuoma Okoro, advocacy and outreach officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA-Kenya), told IRIN the issue of urban refugees was under-addressed within the "overlooked" issue of urban vulnerability.

"Urban refugees live largely without material assistance or legal protection, leaving them vulnerable to police arrest at any time, and face high levels of xenophobia from the local population," Okoro said. "The challenges faced by urban refugees in Kenya falls within the broader issue of the 'hidden' urban humanitarian challenges.

"Confusion over the processing of legal status for urban refugees and fear of deportation is exposing more than 40,000 urban refugees to serious humanitarian challenges with significant protection issues," she said. "Responding to protection issues for urban refugees is a challenge without a clearer and better plan for implementing legal status for urban refugees."

Health risks

Ahmed Hirsi, a medical specialist in Eastleigh's Second Avenue, said poor roads in the suburb had undermined public health, with many people - young and old alike - complaining of constant coughs, especially during the dry season.

"The health problems caused by the dusty conditions are many; some have eye problems because of the dust... we noticed these [conditions] mostly from dust and poor sanitation," Hirsi said. "As most of the people here are refugees, many cannot afford to seek specialized treatment for some of these conditions."

Halima Yasin, a greengrocer on First Avenue, said: "We live like animals; when it is dry, the dust is just too much, it is all over the fruits and vegetables. When it is rainy, some customers even shy away because of the smelly mud..."

Jamilo Abdi, a milk vendor on Seventh Street, said: "You can't imagine how we survive; poor roads are our main concern because customers at times don't want to buy from us, they say we are selling a virus. Somalis can be boastful yet we depend on milk-vending to get our daily bread. Since the government collects tax from us, it should help us."

Both Somali refugees and Kenyan Somalis are involved in milk-vending on Seventh Avenue.

Omar Shamun and his wife, Khadija Mohammed, who ran a clothing and shoe shop in Eastleigh, said the poor infrastructure had not only affected their business but also limited access to schools and health centres.

"It is pure agony whenever you go into Pumwani Road nearby, the road is almost impassable; we have to hire taxies to take our children to school because of the mud," Mohamed said.

During the dry season, she said, dust coats everything. "If a customer drops an item they are buying, they can easily reject it because it becomes really dirty, but it is worse now that it is rainy most of the time, you dare not drop anything."

Shamun, who has acquired American papers, said he came into the country recently to arrange to take all his family to the US.

"Already four of our children are in the US; I am here to make arrangements for my wife and six other children to travel with me to the US. Life here is unbearable, look at all the filth, there are no good roads and going to school is a challenge for our children," Shamun said.

Refugee rights

In a recent joint report [http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=4786&title=urban-refugees-nairobi-kenya], the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK), said the right of refugees to move freely within the country and reside in urban areas was currently unclear.

During the launch of the report in Nairobi on 25 March, Sara Pavanello, a researcher with HPG at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), said: "Urban refugees are often very mobile and are reluctant to come forward, making them a largely hidden population. As the world urbanizes, refugees are increasingly moving to cities in the hope of finding a sense of community, safety and economic independence. Yet what many actually find are precarious living conditions and harassment, discrimination and poverty."

In 2006, the Kenyan government passed a Refugee Act setting out the legal and institutional framework for managing refugee affairs.

However, Pavanello said, "while the act was largely welcomed by civil society and represents a step in the right direction, it has been undermined by a lack of institutional capacity and the absence of a clear national policy outlining the necessary steps for its implementation".

*Not her real name

js-mg/mw
[END]

Isse Ahmed, "They tied me to a tree by my hands and left me hanging"

NAIROBI, 8 April 2010 (IRIN) - Ahmed, a 35-year-old pastoralist, was watching over a herd of cows on the outskirts of Hagar town in Somalia's southern Juba valley when militiamen from Al-Shabab, the Islamist insurgent group that controls the area, demanded a "zaka", or tithe. His refusal led to a violent confrontation that left him crippled for life. Ahmed, now in a refugee camp in Kenya, recounted his ordeal by telephone, as his sister, who described him as depressed and traumatized, held the handset:

"It was in the morning and I was herding my cattle when a group of armed Al-Shabab men asked me to pay Zaka. I told them I only owned half the cattle and the rest belonged to orphans. What was mine [about 20] was not enough to pay Zaka. They did not listen and took 20 cows, leaving me with only 10.

"I went after them hoping to reason with whoever was their leader. When I caught up with them, we argued for a while before they got hold of me and beat me up. They then tied me to a tree by my hands and left me hanging. I was in so much pain, I started yelling and asking for help but no one came. I was there for more than a day. By the time they [the miliamen] cut me down I had no feeling in my hands.

"My relatives took me to a hospital but there was no doctor there and not much medicine; they could not save my hands.

"One day I am a man taking care of my family and the next I am an invalid being helped to put on clothes. I will never forget that day and what they did to me.

"There is no religion that allows them to treat people like that. I honestly don't believe they are Muslims. They are criminals hiding behind religion. Normal thieves and robbers are better. At least when they take your things they either leave you alone or may even kill you but they don't mutilate you.

"I am used to people being killed but I have never seen or heard anything like what they did to me.

"I suffered a lot because of them; I will never forgive them.

"A couple of months later, my relatives heard that they were coming to kill me because they did not want anyone to know what they had done to me. So I was taken from Hagar and brought here [Dadaab refugee camp] at the end of 2009.

"I feel safe here but I worry about my two children. Their mother is dead and I can't take care of them. They are with relatives in Somalia."

ah/mw[END]

Puntland begins repatriating Ethiopian migrants

NAIROBI, 6 April 2010 (IRIN) - Authorities in Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have begun repatriating hundreds of Ethiopian migrants, officials told IRIN.

"These are people who decided they wanted to return but could not afford to do so," said Mohamud Jama Muse, director of the Migration Response Centre (MRC) in Bosasso, Puntland's capital.

He said thousands of Ethiopians and Somalis were in Bosasso, with the intention of crossing into Yemen or to find work.

"We have so far repatriated 490 Ethiopian migrants," said Maher Ahmed, senior operations and programme manager with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Ahmed said that 12 flights had been chartered and IOM was providing airport assistance in Bosasso and Ethiopia.

He said: "We will provide them with US$30 for transport to their home areas and, once there, give them a reintegration package."

Individuals over 18 are given $260 and those younger $110 as part of the reintegration package, he said, adding that "90 percent of those repatriated were women and children".

The continued voluntary repatriation of Ethiopians depended on available funding, Ahmed said.

Joining the queue

Muse said MRC had registered another 1,200 Ethiopians who wanted to return home. He said many had been unable to cross to Yemen or find jobs in Bosasso. "There are no jobs here and they run out of money, so they cannot pay the smugglers."

Adam Nisha Dakabu, an Ethiopian who came to Bosasso to go to Yemen and then Saudi Arabia, said: "I wanted to go but could not because I could not raise the money. I could not find anything to do here, so when I heard about this I registered myself to return."

He said life in Bosasso was very difficult. "At least at home I will be with my family."

Muse said that in response to tough measures taken by the Puntland authorities against smugglers, "it was becoming more and more difficult and expensive for would-be migrants to find boats".

He added that because of the crackdown, smugglers were reportedly charging $200 or more for the trip to Yemen. In the past they charged $50-$75 for the one-to-three-day journey.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 74,000 people crossed the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in 2009 - up 50 percent on 2008.

The number of Somali migrants remained steady in 2008 and 2009, while the number of Ethiopians rose sharply to 42,000 in 2009, UNHCR said. So far in 2010, 5,032 migrants have crossed and four have died.

ah/mw[END]

Human trafficking on the increase

HARGEISA, , 2 April 2010 (IRIN) - Officials in Somalia's self-declared independent state of Somaliland are concerned over a rise in human trafficking in the region. Children are mainly trafficked from south-central Somalia, because of the lack of government there, says a senior government official.

"Human trafficking is increasing in Somaliland. Before, no one believed that human/child trafficking existed in Somaliland but such kinds of crimes occur here." Fadumo Sudi, the Minister for Family and Social Affairs, said during a recent ceremony to reunite a girl with her family. She had been trafficked to Hargeisa in February from Qardho, in the autonomous northeast region of Puntland.

"One day, my sister went to school as usual, but she disappeared. We searched for her everywhere but we didn't find her. Finally, we heard from the media that she had been trafficked to Somaliland and by Allah's mercy she was saved. We are happy to have her back," Najib Jama Abdi, the girl's brother, said.

In January, the Somaliland immigration office in the area of Loyada, along the border with Djibouti, sent home more than 60 minors in the company of about 200 illegal immigrants who were hoping to proceed on to Europe via Eritrea, Sudan and Libya.

Ethiopian Oromian children also travel to Somaliland without their parents in search of work; most end up in petty trade or as street children. Older people, claiming to be the children's parents, use them to beg.

"The children are used in different ways ... and are exploited for child labour in Somaliland," Lul Hassan Matan, the director of child protection in Somaliland's National Human Rights Commission, told IRIN. "Whenever you see a child in the street crying and ask him or her why, they respond that they are not with their parents, but that they have been brought in to work." (Since speaking to IRIN, Matan has left this position).


Raising awareness

According to Khadar Qorane Yusuf, the victim referral mechanism lead person in the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs, the children are initially enticed with false promises and told not to share the information with anyone, only to be later violated.

"With the collaboration of the International Office for Migration (IOM), we are raising awareness by holding forums to discuss the issue of trafficking, as well as debates and seminars," added Qorane. Information posters have been strategically placed along the borders and airports.

IOM defines trafficking in persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.

Exploitation includes the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

Forced into sex work

According to Mayumi Ueno, the counter-trafficking project manager at IOM's Somalia Support Office, the scale of human trafficking in Somalia is not known. "But [a] rapid assessment conducted by IOM indicated [the] existence of international trafficking of Somali women to Djibouti, Kenya, and the Gulf States, mainly the United Arab Emirates, for sexual and labour exploitation. Moreover, further investigations confirmed the widespread practice of domestic human trafficking of Somali women and children [who are] lured into forced prostitution in some areas of Somalia [Somaliland and Puntland]," Ueno told IRIN.

In 2009, IOM launched a Counter Trafficking Project for Somalia, in Somaliland and Puntland, whose activities include awareness-raising campaigns targeting the local population to inform them of the dangers and risks of being trafficked. It has also supported Somaliland and Puntland in setting up National Counter Trafficking Taskforces.

Challenges remain, however, with the public and authorities not familiar with the concept of human trafficking and the best ways to respond, Mayumi said. "Furthermore, the general lack of social services and issues of culture and social stigma make victims' reintegration extremely difficult."

maj/aw/mw[END]

Weekly Humanitarian Bulletin Issue # 12 19 March - 1 April 2010

Key Overall Developments
Conflict and displacement
Mogadishu
During the reporting period, the situation in Mogadishu remained relatively calm, apart from sporadic clashes between
the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and insurgents, which has had a high impact on civilians. According to
WHO, in the first three weeks of March, more than 700 people sustained conflict related injuries and were treated in
the three main hospitals in Mogadishu. Children under the age of five accounted for 10 percent of the wounded. At
least 30 people have been killed during the same period. In a special bulletin released on 29 March, WHO said the
emergency health services in Mogadishu were struggling with few trained health workers and insufficient supplies.
"The ongoing conflict is putting a further burden on the already weak health system and, with escalating levels of
trauma, services are being stretched to the limit", the bulletin said.
As of 26 March, UNHCR reported that 78,500 people have been displaced from Mogadishu since 1 February. Of
these, it is estimated 52,300 people have fled Mogadishu (28,910 have fled to the Afgooye Corridor) and another
26,300 are displaced in the various districts within Mogadishu.
Mudug
At least 30 people were killed and more than 60 others injured when clashes erupted between two clans in Barak
Isse, a remote village in Hobyo district, Mudug region. Reports indicate that the dispute was over resources of land
and water. An unconfirmed number of people were displaced as tensions escalated in the area. Earlier on 5 March,
similar clashes were reported in Amara village (90km north of Xarardheere town), killing at least 14 people.
Fire outbreak in Bossaso
On 26 March, a fire destroyed an estimated 100 households in one of the largest Internally Displaced Person's (IDP)
settlements in Bossaso, Puntland. No casualties were reported. The humanitarian community conducted a rapid
assessment to establish immediate needs and responded accordingly (see Response section below).
Floods in western Somaliland
Somaliland authorities estimate that nearly 40,000 people have been affected by the heavy rains that have caused
floods in the western regions Awdal and Maroodi Jeex in early March. Most of the water systems and sources and
crops in large tracks of farmland were destroyed, while unconfirmed numbers of livestock died.
Early Gu rains in southern and northern Somalia
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) says the unusual rains in Somalia that began in late
February and early March have helped mitigate the negative effects of the harsh dry season, which is normally
experienced between January and March. Although the rains stopped in north and central regions, they continued in
most of the southern regions. The early start of the Gu rains is a positive indicator, although it is too early to
determine the overall effects from the onset of the rains and the outlook for the upcoming rainy season.
Concern for human rights situation in Somalia
There is deep concern about the human rights and humanitarian situation in Somalia. This was expressed at the 13th
Human Rights Council session in Geneva on 24 March by the UN Independent Expert on Human Rights for Somalia,
Shamsul Bari. He highlighted that the renewed fighting in Mogadishu had once again exposed the vulnerability of the
civilian population, especially on women and children, to violence and inhumane suffering. This has resulted in
significant deaths, casualties and massive displacements of the population, with restricted access to humanitarian
assistance. Mr Bari urged all parties to the conflict to come together for the sake of peace in Somalia.

Response
Health
During the reporting period, WHO and partners conducted on-the-job training for 33 clinical staff members, including
nine doctors, 11 nurses and 13 mid-wives in trauma management and emergency obstetric care in Banadir hospital,
Mogadishu. The hospital also benefited from emergency health supplies. In Jamaame, Lower Juba, WHO distributed
Oral-Rehydration Salts (ORS) and undertook environmental awareness activities.
The Child Health Days (CHD) campaign is ongoing in Southern Somalia. To date, over 120,000 children under five
and 111,000 women of child bearing age in Lower Juba, Middle Juba, Bakool and Gedo regions have been reached
during the first phase of the second round in the south. Preliminary coverage data shows that over 80 percent of the
targeted population of children under five have been reached and about 77 percent of women of child bearing age
reached. Throughout South and Central Somalia, UNICEF, WHO and partners aim to reach more than 1.3 million
children and 1.6 million women during each round of the CHD.
Food aid
WFP and partners distributed approximately 1,000 metric tons of assorted food commodities to 74,000 beneficiaries
under the General Food Distribution programme in Cadaado and Guri Ceel districts, Galgaduud region, and north
Hobyo district, south Gaalkacyo in Mudug region. An additional 156 metric tons of food was distributed to 22,000
beneficiaries in Galcad and Elder districts in Galgaduud region, initially meant for February relief rations. The districts
could not be accessed from Gaalkacyo due to insecurity along the main roads and surroundings.
A test food delivery of 263 metric tons of cereals, oil and Corn Soya Blend was dispatched during the reporting period
to Matabaan, Hiraan region. WFP is making efforts to assist more vulnerable Somalis in the areas that have been
inaccessible recently due to insecurity.
WASH
The international NGO Solidarity is digging 12 water catchments in Afmadow district, in addition to distribution of
sanitation tools and awareness raising activities to prevent curable disease like diarrhoea. World Vision International
is also digging four water catchments in the same district and three others in Bu'aale district, Middle Juba region.
During the reporting period, Diakonia Sweden handed over Humanitarian Response Fund supported borehole
equipment to Bubi community in Jariiban district, Mudug region, to be used in the borehole that COOPI is about to
complete the drilling.
Shelter and Non-Food Items
In response to the floods in western Somalia, UNHCR delivered shelter items to 100 households. The Somali Red
Crescent Society also supplied shelter materials in western Somalia.
Fire outbreak response in Bossaso
The humanitarian community in Bossaso has been supporting the 100 IDP households affected by the fire in the IDP
camp. UNICEF set up two outpatient therapeutic programmes, provided two water bladders and supplied an existing
Mother and Child Health center with drugs and other medical supplies. Children were also supplied with books. The
Norwegian Refugee Council, with partner WAWA, distributed non-food items, including sanitary towels and mats for
women. Horn Relief distributed clothes and shoes while the Danish Refugee Council continued with water distribution.

Contact: For further information in English, contact: Rita Maingi on +254 734 800 120 – maingir@un.org In Somali or
English, contact Muna Mohamed on + 254 733 643 737 – mohamed26@un.org

New taskforce to check AWD in Somaliland

HARGEISA, 1 April 2010 (IRIN) - UN agencies and health authorities in Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland have set up a taskforce to check the spread of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), which has broken out in several regions, killing several children and infecting hundreds of people.

In a statement on 31 March, Health Minister Ahmed Hassan Ali said members of the taskforce had been drawn from the ministries of health, water and minerals, and interior, and from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Somaliland Red Crescent Society.

Meanwhile, officials in Sayla district, 45km southwest of the capital, Hargeisa, said at least eight children had contracted the disease daily since 26 March.

"Three children have died in Sayla in the past 72 hours," Abdirahman Sheikh Hussein, the mayor of Sayla, told IRIN on 31 March.

Sayla residents complained of inadequate medicine to cope with the outbreak.

"We do not have any idea [how to deal with] the disease, so we put acacia dye, gypsum calcium as well as diesel in the water," Aw Khadar Hassan Ahmed, 72, a resident of Sayla, said.

Ahmed added: "We have limited medicine in the area yet the disease is jumping from place to place; for example while I was in Laf-lamood [about 1km southwest of Sayla], three children died of the disease and several other children in Bargal had been infected."

Mohamed Ahmed Hussein, the public health officer in Sayla, said the disease was spreading fast due to the movement of people. "Some children are getting infected following visits by relatives coming from seeing other [AWD] patients."

Contaminated barkads

Hussein said many people were drinking water fetched from shallow dams, known as "barkads", which were contaminated.

"Yes the colour of water in some of the barkads has changed and we used to drink it as usual without any problem, but late last month, the seasonal river of Wajale burst its banks and some of the water has entered the barkads and I think this has led to the recent diarrhoea in the area," Hussein said.

Health officials in many regions across Somaliland were reported to be struggling to control the spread of the disease.

"We have been struggling to control the virus that causes diarrhoea in the remote areas of Gabiley, Hargeisa and Awdal regions; we have controlled the spread of the disease in Toon [20km south of the capital, Hargeisa], which so far has the highest death toll, six children dead and 85 others infected," Ali Sheikh Omar, the public health director in the Ministry of Health and Labour, told IRIN.

The disease outbreak follows heavy rains, health officials said. AWD is endemic in Somalia, according to WHO. Poor sanitation and lack of clean and safe drinking water are among the key causes.

"It is too early to say it is cholera because we are yet to identify the virus that causes such diarrhoea," Omar said.

According to WHO, a case of cholera is confirmed when "Vibrio cholera O1 or O139" is isolated from any patient with diarrhoea.

Omar said of those infected in Toon, only six children were still in the local hospital, adding that mobile health teams had since been sent to most regions.

"The most seriously affected place was Wajale, where not only children caught the disease but even adults have reported having diarrhoea; more than 240 people - both children and adults - have been infected and three children have died of the disease in Wajale," Omar said.

Health officials expressed concern that the disease could continue to spread.

Omar said: "The disease broke out just as the people were emerging from the worst drought they ever encountered in a long time; when the rains started everyone [collected] rainwater as there had been a severe water shortage. We suspect that the disease broke out after people drank contaminated rainwater [that had been stored].

"The good news is the [health] ministry has controlled the outbreak in Toon and, working in collaboration with UNICEF and the Red Crescent, we have sent several mobile teams to Wajale."

maj/js[END]

Clan clashes in central Somalia kill 16

MOGADISHU, March 31 (Reuters) - At least 16 people were killed and 20 more wounded in clashes on Wednesday between rival clans in central Somalia, residents said.

The two clans have been fighting over land and water in Mudug region in the past few weeks. The latest clash happened in Barag village, 80 km (50 miles) north of Haradheere town."It's awful fighting and tension is still high," Ibrahim Osman, an elder in the village, told Reuters.

Residents said the fighting had stopped but more was expected as gunmen had been flowing into the area.

Hundreds of residents fled the village as their herds scattered because of the loud explosions.

The Horn of Africa nation has had no effective central government for 19 years and the West's efforts to prop one up have been undermined by an insurgency led by the al Shabaab rebel group that is viewed by Washington as al Qaeda's proxy in the region. The chaos onshore has allowed pirate gangs to flourish and make millions of dollars from hijacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. (Reporting by Ibrahim Mohamed and Abdi Guled; Editing by Dominic Evans)