Emergency Alarming Situation Report of Upper Bokool Region of Somalia

Sunday 16 January 2011 SMC

Women and Child Concern Association  Hay’adda Danaha Haweenka & Dhalaanka

To: all INGO’s, Donor Agencies and UN Bodies that operates in Somalia
Subject: Acute Emergency Alarming Situation Report of Upper Bokool Region of Somalia
With great pleasure we are pleased to submit to your distinguished offices the situation of Upper Bakool districts which consist of three districts namely El-Barde, Aato and Yeed which lies along the Ethiopian border with Somalia. The area is free from any foreign or internal forces i.e. Al-shabab and Hisbul Islam. The community is pastoralists and faces a lot of disaster due prolonged draught and animal diseases with no assistant from any humanitarian organization, Government or any other sources. These community also live on the bordering side of Ethiopia in three district namely, kalafe,Adale,Barey,Dollo. The long drought of this season is described as the worst since 1991 which occurred in Somalia and is further exacerbated the already deplorable livelihood conditions in the area, since livestock are destroyed due to lack of pasture & water points inundated with unknown diseases where many communities continue to face major humanitarian crises for more than a decade.
The scale of the disaster varies in terms of magnitude and effects in many locations of southern part of the country. Bokool region was among the worst hit areas, while upper side of the region districts and villages experienced an unprecedented level of damage.
The drought destroyed all livestock and livestock product, increasing the vulnerability of pastoralist villages and compounding food insecurity.  The drought also devastated the livelihood making difficult to recovery efforts. In this area, it is common to find that four out of five seasons ends up dry.
The target communities have experienced five consecutive years of erratic and infrequent droughts, while recent drought has completely dismantled livelihood mechanisms; however, most of the communities living in target villages are living in abject poverty due to lack of or inadequate agricultural inputs.
As result of drought, thousands of IDPs has been made from various villages that are now in El-barde and Yeed districts when they saw their animal dying and their farms dried of which there is nothing they can do. This problem inhibits the poorer to continue firming, since they cannot afford the requirements for their livestock and farms needs.

Lack of diversified diet is a main contributing factor in high incidence of malnutrition in children and women of childbearing age in the target areas. The condition is also confirmed by FSAU team touring the area.
The local authorities do broadcast in the local media in search for assistances and over 3,000 people became displaced in El-barde alone and moved to temporary displacement camps/areas. These people live in dire humanitarian emergency situation. Their situation deems urgent rapid distribution of shelter materials, food, medicine and household utensils. The drought affected people at all ages without discrimination.  However, the sick, the elderly, mothers and their children are always the most vulnerable groups of the society.
These IDPs are not only from the vicinity but also from other part of Bokool region where the Al-shabaab controls.

POSSIBLE OPTION
The elders and the local authorities raised a lot of call to all humanitarian organization for immediate intervention but the only challenge mentioned by the organizations was that there is no access to the above land since Al-shabab controls the bordering district of this area, thus the two bridges Beledwayn and Luuq are under Al-shabab and Hisbul Islam.   
The area can be reached in two ways.- from air in El-barde and yeed have airstrips and from land through mandera and pass through Ethiopia.
Consequently we had put our request to the Ethiopian government since we are landlocked by the mercy less Al-shabaab that the humanitarian assistances for the area could pass through their territory, which is neighboring our districts through. We have received acceptance from the Ethiopian government but stated that all type of intervention assistances should be clearly indicated i.e. type, quantity etc. these was an agreement reached between the elders and local authority of Ethiopia at the border of which the relationship is in cordial order due to security situation. Assistance can be passed through Mandera of Kenya since organizations operating in Somalia are based in Kenya and have access to Mandera. Accepting assisting these communities we take the responsibility for the facilitation.
Therefore, based on this, we are recommending not to look at what Al-shabab are doing to these poor communities but to save human lives already livestock are dying and as of January 2011 human are expected. So, early action is required.  Never hesitate to ask for further information if required and below are our emergency alarming recommendations. 

Recommendation

1. Emergency Water tracking for livestock and human needs in the area
2. Emergency Malnutrition program (SFP) and OTP
3. Emergency resettlement of the displaced people with food, water and shelter
4. Animal Health program for the remaining livestock’s
5. Health ,Hygiene water and sanitation program in the IDP camps
6.   Further participatory assessments are needed to be undertaken in the region for further interventions

With best regards
Abdullahi Sahal Hussein
Executive director WaCCA

Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC)

Custom Search

News From Somalia Today's New 09 December-2010 Islamist in Somalia demand for Ransom (Read more) 09-Dec-2010    Terror Suspect had four years in prison (Read more) 08-Dec-2010   Today's New 08 December-2010 Somali consulate in Yemen calls the Daily Telegraph report counterfeit (Read more) 08-Dec-2010   Implications of the success of the Somali Embassy Case in Kenya (Read more) 08-Dec-2010 Today's New 08 December-2010 ECOTERRA: STATUS OF SEIZED VESSELS AND CREWS IN SOMALIA, THE GULF OF ADEN  AND THE INDIAN OCEAN (ecoterra - 06. December 2010) (Read more) 07-Dec-2010 PM Farmajo signals adversaries for peace (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 Kenyan soldiers scoop out Somalis in Nairobi overnight (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 Ethiopia and Kenya differ on Somalia (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 The Netherlands to try five suspected Somali pirates (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 Hijacked Bangladeshi ship heads to Somalia (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omer: Killing one stone with two birds (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 Will Burning Somaliland Flag Reunite Former Somalia? (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 Somali Internet TLD SO. Case Against the Buyer GMO Registry, Inc in Japan (Read more) 06-Dec-2010 Today's New 05 December-2010 Columbus man is seeking to lead warring Somalia (Read more) 05-Dec-2010 Puntland Parliament passes new rule on Pirates (Read more) 05-Dec-2010 Today's New 04 December-2010 Hizbul-Islam fighters join Somali government (Read more) 04-Dec-2010 The Ambivalent US Foreign Policy Toward Somalia (Read more) 04-Dec-2010 Government declares Tax upon leading Business Companies (Read more) 04-Dec-2010 Status of seized vessels and crews in Somalia, the gulf of aden and the Indian Ocean (Read more) 04-Dec-2010 Today's New 28 November-2010 President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda paid a working visit to Mogadishu, Somalia (Read more) 28 -Nov-2010 Government troops intercept Al-Shabab weapons (Read more) 28 -Nov-2010 San Diego woman accused of aiding Somalia terrorist group (Read more) 28 -Nov-2010 Today's New 27 November-2010 New Somali Cabinet Won the Confidence of Parliament and Are Sworn-in Today (PHOTOS) (Read more) 27 -Nov-2010 Ministers likely to be approved (Read more) 27 -Nov-2010 Somali ambassador to Kenya visits Kakuma (Read more) 27 -Nov-2010 Al-shabab reshuffles its administration in Bula-Hawo district (Read more) 27 -Nov-2010 Djibouti accomplishes training for Somali military cadets (Read more) 26 -Nov-2010 Somalia still needs 12,000 more troops (Read more) 26 -Nov-2010 Today's New 25 November-2010 Somalia Supreme Court Chief Justice Passed Away (Read more) 24 -Nov-2010 Somalia’s Special Envoy to United States Warns U.S. against Engaging Somaliland (Read more) 23 -Nov-2010 Today's New 22 November-2010 Mudulood Community Summit held in Gothenburg Sweden (Read more) 22 -Nov-2010 Somali Immigration Department Established New Passport Making Facility in Mogadishu (Read more) 22 -Nov-2010 Chandlers forgive, and seek help for Somalia (Read more) 22 -Nov-2010 Press Release of Stop Child Soldering (Read more) 22 -Nov-2010

News From Somalia Today's New 21 November-2010 Ethiopia says to support Somaliland recognition (Read more) 21 -Nov-2010 Armed gangsters gunned down a local Chief in Bosaso (Read more) 21 -Nov-2010 I shall wheedle Islamists to allow Humanitarian assistances, says Premier Farmajo (Read more) 21 -Nov-2010 Puntland remarks about the clashes in Mudug and Kabshaale (Read more) 21 -Nov-2010 FSNAU Releases October 2010 Market Data Update (Read more) 21 -Nov-2010 Today's New 19 November-2010 Somali PM pays visit to Amisom hq (Read more) 19 -Nov-2010 Celebrated Somali singer awarded (Read more) 19 -Nov-2010 PM Framajo of Somalia tours on Military bases (Read more) 19 -Nov-2010 President Shariff of Somalia back from Pilgrimage (Read more) 19 -Nov-2010 Premier Farmajo of Somalia nominates 18 vice Ministers and 9 state Ministers (Read more) 19 -Nov-2010 THE RELEASE OF THE BRITISH COUPLE  (Read more) 18 -Nov-2010 Ahlu Sunnah-Waljama shutdown 2 radio stations in Central Somalia (Read more) 18 -Nov-2010 Today's New 14 November-2010 Somali Government Help Free the Chandlers Plus Photos (Read more) 14 -Nov-2010 The Chandlers are free at last (Read more) 14 -Nov-2010 STATUS OF SEIZED VESSELS AND CREWS IN SOMALIA, THE GULF OF ADEN  AND THE INDIAN OCEAN (Read more) 14 -Nov-2010 Press release: Somali born architect chosen to represent the UK (Read more) 14 -Nov-2010 Somalis in Sweden stage mass demonstration in Gothenburg (Read more) 14 -Nov-2010 Today's New 13 November-2010 U.N. Special Envoy Praises Peace in Puntland, Pledges Support (Read more) 13-Nov-2010 At last PM Farmajo unveils succinct cabinet of Ministers (Read more) 13-Nov-2010 Today's New 10 November-2010 PM Farmajo met with Digil and Mirifle legislators (Read more) 10-Nov-2010 The piracy transformed from group to enterprise (Read more) 10-Nov-2010 Today's New 9 November-2010 Al-Shabab detained over 20 people in Jowhar town (Read more) 9-Nov-2010 There are 70 Somaliland Soldiers at Dahar location, says Minister (Read more) 9-Nov-2010 6 people on trail for Presidential assassination attempt (Read more) 9-Nov-2010 URGENT ACTION 8,000 SOMALIS PUSHED OUT OF KENYA Approximately 8,000 Somalis, who fled across the Kenyan border from (Read more) 9-Nov-2010   Today's New 7 November-2010 President Silanyo of Somaliland back home (Read more) 7-Nov-2010 Pirate copy (Read more) 7-Nov-2010 MPs urge PM to think twice (Read more) 7-Nov-2010 Fighting in the lower shabelle region leaves 6 dead (Read more) 7-Nov-2010 Human rights activist shot dead in Mandera (Read more) 7-Nov-2010 Status of seized vessels and crews in Somalia, the gulf of Aden and the Indian ocean (Read more) 7-Nov-2010 Mr. Rage's speeches at both conference (Read more) 7-Nov-2010 Today's New 6 November-2010 President Shariff’s paternal uncle in the hands of Al-Shabab (Read more) 6-Nov-2010 President Alin of Gal-Mudug state in Galinsoor district (Read more) 6-Nov-2010 Serious water scarcity in Baladweyn 4 died (Read more) 6-Nov-2010 Security operation in Puntland state (Read more) 6-Nov-2010 China says ship, crew hijacked off Somalia in June rescued (Read more) 6-Nov-2010 Today's New 5 November-2010 Letter to Somalis in the Diaspora: (Read more) 5-Nov-2010