The Society for Threatened Peoples STP (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker GfbV) has appealed to the temporary president Jens Böhrnsen and the Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to speak out in their talks with Somalia's President, Sheik Sharif Ahmed, for better protection of the civilian population in the embattled country. "All parties in the civil war in Somalia disregard the protection of the civilian population and commit war crimes arbitrarily”, criticised the STP Africa consultant, Ulrich Delius. "In May alone 18,000 people had to flee from Mogadishu because their residential areas were being shelled.” Somalia's President is expected in Berlin on Thursday for talks with Böhrnsen.

"The catastrophic situation of the civilians in Somalia demands more involvement from the German government”, said Delius. " Not even free corridors for flight from the capital and protected zones for unarmed Somalis to live in safety are guaranteed by the parties to the civil war. "Boastful statements from the international community which are not put into practice are of no use to the victims of the war and those displaced.”

At a conference of the donor nations in Istanbul 50 states – including Germany – promised comprehensive aid on 22/23rd May 2010 for the country. "But in spite of these constant new announcements from the international community the position of the civilian population gets worse every week.”

More than 200,000 people have fled from the increasing violence in Somalia since the beginning of the year. At least 60 people have died in the past fortnight in the shelling of their residential areas and in the fighting.

Since the escalation of the violence in the year 2007 at least 21,000 people have been killed. Nearly every second Somali citizen is now in need of emergency aid. Every seventh child dies before the age of five on account of the catastrophic conditions. 1.4 million are displaced in Somalia and a further 580,000 have fled abroad.

Ulrich Delius can be reached at asien@gfbv.de