U.N. says number of Somalis fleeing violence in beleaguered

[Hiiraan boy]

U.N. says number of Somalis fleeing violence in beleaguered capital at new high
The Associated Press
Published: November 12, 2007
E-Mail Article
Listen to Article
Printer-Friendly
3-Column Format
Translate
Share Article

Text Size

UNITED NATIONS: Somalia's warring factions must refrain from attacks on civilians, a top U.N. humanitarian official appealed Monday as the number of people who have fled the country's violence-wracked capital shot up to a new high of 850,000 — with over 100,000 leaving in the past two weeks alone.

Recent clashes between Islamic insurgents and government-allied forces are the most violent Mogadishu has seen in months, with thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire.

"Civilians are more than ever bearing the brunt of the fighting in Mogadishu," John Holmes, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in statement."I appeal to all those with guns, whether government, insurgent, or Ethiopian troops, to refrain from indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks affecting civilians."

At least 88,000 people left Mogadishu in just three days after the renewed heavy fighting began Oct. 27, said OCHA. By Monday, that number had increased to 114,000, OCHA said, bringing the total number of people who have fled the capital this year to 450,000.

OCHA said the new figure of 850,000 also includes the 400,000 people displaced before this year by the country's long-standing conflict.
Today on IHT.com
Italian murder puts American student in spotlight
Europe pledges to lead on energy conservation
Baghdad's oasis of tolerance

Somalia, a poverty-stricken nation of 7 million people, was thrown into chaos in 1991 when clan-based warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

Insecurity in Mogadishu is blocking humanitarian workers in the country from reaching those in the most dire need of aid, OCHA said, calling the current situation one of the country's "worst humanitarian crises in years."

Mogadishu has been plagued by fighting since government troops and their Ethiopian allies chased out the Council of Islamic Courts in December.

For six months, the Islamic group controlled much of southern Somalia, and remnants have vowed to fight an Iraq-style insurgency against the country's weak U.N.-backed transitional government. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting this year.

The thousands of Mogadishu residents streaming into surrounding areas are putting a strain on the resources of neighboring villages, which are already facing difficulties similar to the displaced population, the U.N. humanitarian office said.

At least 10,000 malnourished children in the southern region of Lower Shabelle are at risk of death, according to U.N. humanitarian coordinator Eric La Roche, who warned Somali parliament members of the endangered children in a meeting in the southern town of Baidoa last week.

The U.N. authorized the African Union to send an 8,000-strong peacekeeping force to Somalia in February to calm the country, but only 1,800 troops from Uganda are there so far.

In August, the Security Council called on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to begin planning for the possible deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to replace the AU force. But Ban announced on Friday that he opposed the deployment and suggested instead a multinational force.

[*jr]

Who gives a fock what the UN says!