Trapped Somali population needs immediate life-saving assistance - malnutrition increases drastically as assistance dwindles.
London/Nairobi – June 26, 2008 The people of Somalia are currently facing a massive humanitarian crisis with unmet critical medical needs. In May alone, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams working in the Mogadishu suburbs of Hawa Abdi and Afgooye treated more than 2,500 children suffering from acute malnutrition with admissions to MSF nutritional programs doubling in April and doubling again in May. Malnutrition rates have exceeded emergency thresholds for a year. The number of new cases is drastically increasing while external assistance is dwindling in quality and quantity due to high insecurity and increased targeting of humanitarian workers. Somalis attempting to flee the violence have few options for escape, as the main border crossings are closed.
Distribution of therapeutic food in Mogadishu. Somalia, 2008.
MSF
"Somalia is no longer on the verge of a catastrophe, the disaster is happening now," states Bruno
Jochum, MSF Director of Operations in Geneva.
"Last week alone, over 500 severely malnourished children were admitted in our nutritional programs.
One out of six of these children needed to be hospitalized due to medical complications. If this
trend continues, malnutrition may soon affect more
of the general population such as children over 5 years old and vulnerable adults. The situation is
tragic and we are unable to provide the aid
necessary to prevent further deterioration of the situation."
In the Afgooye-Mogadishu corridor, over 250,000 people are living in extremely crowded conditions
and their numbers are steadily increasing as they
flee violence in the capital. Less than 10 liters of
clean water are available per person per day, and most families are living in makeshift shelters that provide little protection. Prices of basic food, such
as rice and corn, have tripled since the beginning
of the year and many displaced people rely exclusively on external assistance.
Daily violence continues in and around Mogadishu, taking a heavy toll on civilians. The MSF surgical
ward in Dayniile, at the periphery of Mogadishu, has treated over 2,100 people suffering from traumatic injuries since the beginning of 2008. More than half are women and children under 14 years of age. 56% of our patients are treated for wounds related to violence, such as gunshots and blasts.
This highly volatile security environment prevents any significant evolution in the level and quality of assistance. Humanitarian workers are regularly targeted, abducted or killed and no organization, including MSF, can work on a regular basis with international staff.
"Twenty four months after the political and military involvement of international community members in the name of restoring stability and fighting terrorism, the situation is catastrophic for the Somali population," says Dr. Christophe Fournier, MSF International Council President. "The conflict has escalated, with violence against civilians perpetrated by all sides contributing to the current humanitarian disaster. MSF demands that humanitarian action is kept independent from the political and peace keeping agenda in Somalia and that all belligerents guarantee safe and unhindered access to aid actors."
MSF has been in Somalia since 1991. The organization is the main healthcare provider in Central and Southern Somalia (in 2007, some 520,000 consultations have been provided, 23,000 patients have been admitted in hospitals and 2,500 surgical interventions have been performed).
At this time, insecurity prevents MSF from placing international staff permanently on the ground. Despite the dedication of Somali staff who continue to run programs and deliver lifesaving medical care in the regions of Bakool, Banadir, Bay, Galgaduud, Hiraan, Lower and Middle Juba, Mudug, and Lower and Middle Shabelle, it is grossly too little in regards to what is needed today in Somalia.