By Aly Singer
Yesterday, November 1st it was reported that almost 90,000 additional residents fled Mogadishu among increased fighting and a worsening security situation. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) about 88,000 people fled the Somalia capital because of increased fighting. This figure is more than had left in the preceding 4 months.
In a press release OCHA stated, “Increased fighting and a general decline in the security situation in the city are prompting this increased exodus.” It noted that entire neighborhoods have been emptied. The residents fear for their safety, being caught between daily attacks and the government’s responses. These include large-scale detentions, evacuation orders and house-to-house searches.
The UN estimates that all together, there are approximately 800,000 internally displaced people and about 1.5 million are in need of some sort of assistance and/or protection. This is a 50 percent increase over the beginning of the year.
The worsening security situation is hampering the UN’s efforts to provide aid. Agencies are unable to deliver even the basics such as food, water and medical care. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes appealed to Somalia leaders to help facilitate the relief efforts. “It is the responsibility of the Transitional Federal Authority, including all officials at all levels, to do all they can to facilitate the major humanitarian endeavour required to save lives and ease the suffering of Somalia’s people.”
It is situations such as this that makes me question the effectiveness of the UN and wonder if there isn’t some better way to address these human tragedies. I understand that there are many considerations, including respect for the sovereignty of Somalia, the UN’s resistance to the use of force, and the desire not to make a bad situation worse. My hope is that if enough international scrutiny and pressure were brought to bear on these and other combatants, they could be forced to into a cease-fire and peace talks. But I am also concerned that the proliferation of these types of internal and border disputes are overwhelming the capabilities of the UN as well as the international community as a whole. Currently there are military conflicts in Uganda, Nigeria and the Darfur tragedy in Sudan. And this is just in Africa. It is hard to imagine how the UN and its member nations are going to be able to address so many conflicts.
