Abwaan Posted April 20, 2007 Humanitarian catastrophe looms in Somalia: UN Web posted at: 4/20/2007 8:22:19 Source ::: AFP geneva • A humanitarian catastrophe is looming in Somalia unless heavy fighting subsides and access for relief aid is opened up, especially around Mogadishu, a United Nations official said yesterday. “Unless something is done, the humanitarian crisis is going to turn into a catastrophe very soon,” Eric Laroche, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Somalia, told journalists. Laroche said relief deliveries to thousands of displaced people were being blocked by government forces, UN aircraft were being shot at, corpses were lying in the streets of the capital, a cholera or diarrhoea epidemic is taking hold and new flooding is likely soon. UN officials are due to meet Somali officials on Monday to discuss the situation, Laroche said, adding however that so far the transitional government had made no attempt to help the UN’s humanitarian efforts. Laroche said that in one incident, government forces stopped 40 trucks carrying relief supplies for about 14,000 displaced in Afgooye, close to Mogadishu, and prevented them from distributing aid. Local staff who carry out the bulk of the UN’s aid work in Somalia were harassed and detained at checkpoints. Three mortars were fired at the last aid flight near Mogadishu, the UN official said. Tensions in Somalia have risen again since Ethiopian forces helped the UN-backed transitional government to oust Islamists from Mogadishu at the start of the year. The Islamists have launched a guerrilla war against the Ethiopians and the capital is in the grip of fierce fighting, while more than 124,000 people have fled the acity in the past two months according to the UN refugee agency. “We have been making attempts to reach the Ethiopian authorities. I have never received an answer,” Laroche said. However, Laroche said access for relief aid in the rest of central and southern Somalia has opened up in recent months. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abwaan Posted April 20, 2007 This is the same guy who couple of weeks ago lahaa Dowlad ku sheegga TFG ayaa cirka iyo dhulka kala haysa oo argagaxiso la dagaalaysa. Tolow hadda isaga iyo shaqaalaha UN-ku ma argagaxiso ayay noqdeen? @lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
