Crisis in Somalia

The situation

Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991 when factions overthrew President Said Barre then fought for political and military supremacy.  Since then Somalia has seen 17 years of periodic conflict between rival factions, which has led to massive displacements of people and severe disruptions to the economy. The conflict, combined with cycles of drought and flooding across Somalia, has had a catastrophic impact on the ordinary citizens of Somalia. 

Since the beginning of 2007, 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Mogadishu to areas that often have little or no access by aid agencies. There are now one million internally displaced people in Somalia and approximately two million people in need of humanitarian assistance.  Across the majority of the county, people are suffering from malnutrition above the UN’s emergency threshold rates.    

Record high food and non-food prices caused by hyper-inflation throughout the country are adding to problems with the availability of food especially for the internally displaced and poor people living in urban areas. 

Continuing insecurity and inflation over the next few months can only lead to further deterioration in the humanitarian crisis.

Oxfam is there

Despite severe access difficulties, Oxfam International, working with local Somali partner organizations, is providing vital assistance to half a million people across South and Central Somalia. We are currently providing the largest emergency water response in the region and supporting a pioneering program providing hot meals to more than 50,000 people across Mogadishu every day. 

We also carry out life saving relief programs providing cash to internally displaced people and the host communities to which they have fled to promote sustainable livelihoods. We provide essential non-food items such as plastic sheeting, jerry cans and soap to people who need them and we support a wide range of capacity building programs – working with local Somali organizations to provide them with the tools to make a positive contribution to their own country’s future. 

Like in other emergencies, we are also actively engaged in regional and international lobbying and advocacy work around Somalia issues including calling for all parties in the conflict to fulfill their responsibility to protect civilians well for increased humanitarian assistance to the people affected.

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