Drought and war hamper deliveries of aid goods to the civilian population Somalia is threatened with a famine

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) warned on Friday of a threatening famine in Somalia in the autumn. "International helpers have increasing problems of access to the civilian population on account of the aggravation of the civil war”, reported the GfbV Africa consultant, Ulrich Delius. "Quite apart from that, the attacks on helpers have increased dramatically in the past six months.” Germany and the European Union must urgently increase their attempts for peace in Somalia to ensure that the 3.9 million people suffering are properly looked after. All parties to the conflict must be called upon not to hinder the humanitarian aid supplies to the civilian population.

The European Union (EU) has promised in the framework of fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden to take "comprehensive measures” to stabilise Somalia. "Now the EU must follow its words with actions and work harder for peace in Somalia”, said Delius. The neighbouring states of Eritrea and Ethiopia, which are at war with each other, must be pressurised to stop them continuing a proxy war in Somalia.

The humanitarian crisis is being aggravated by a drought which is severely endangering the existence of 700,000 nomads in the north of Somalia and in the neighbouring Puntland and Somaliland. There has hardly been any rainfall in the region in the past four years. There is now a threat of losing the herds of cattle.

Since January 2008 42 helpers have been killed in Somalia and 33 helpers from aid agencies abducted, of whom 13 are still in the hands of their captors. The increase in the number of attacks has led the aid agencies to withdraw staff which is urgently needed since their safety can no longer be guaranteed. The children’s aid agency UNICEF had to end the care of 85,000 children in the south of Somalia for safety reasons. Vehicles and pieces of equipment are constantly being stolen from the aid agencies. On 17th August it was only with great difficulty that an attack by night on a base of the World Food Programme could be warded off. Three attackers died in the attack.

Since the beginning of May 2009 about 280,000 civilians have fled in the face of escalating violence from the capital, Mogadishu. At least 12,000 refugees are waiting in the north Somali coastal town of Bosasso in Puntland for good weather to risk with the help of traffickers the dangerous escape through the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. More than 30,000 people have already fled by sea since January 2009. About 500,000 refugees from Somalia are living in the most miserable conditions in Yemen. In the year 2008 the number of refugees arriving from Somalia rose by 70 percent as against the previous year.

Ulrich Delius can also be reached at u.delius@gfbv.de