UN ramps up humanitarian response amid clashes in northern Somalia

MOGADISHU, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations humanitarian agency said on Tuesday that it is scaling up humanitarian response as recurring clashes between security forces and clan leaders in Las Anod in northern Somalia continue to displace thousands of people.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the intermittent fighting in the disputed region has displaced between 154,000 and 203,000 people since December 2022.

"Humanitarian partners and authorities are coordinating closely to ensure a coherent and effective response and have stepped up assistance in accessible areas," the OCHA said in its flash update released in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

According to the OCHA, an estimated 100,000 displaced people have crossed into the Somali region of Ethiopia.

It also said those displaced within Somalia have reportedly moved into villages in Sool, Togdheer, Nugal, and Mudug regions.

On March 22, humanitarian partners in Ethiopia appealed for 116 million U.S. dollars to provide life-saving assistance to the refugees who are now living in harsh conditions in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

The OCHA said the refugees are mostly women, children, and older people as well as unaccompanied and separated children. "Partners report that the situation on the ground is dire, with moderate acute malnutrition observed in many of the children under five and in pregnant and nursing mothers. There is a high risk of disease outbreaks with worrying reports of measles cases."

The situation in Las Anod has escalated at a time when people in the Sool region are experiencing unprecedented water shortages due to severe drought and facing an elevated risk of disease outbreaks, the UN agency said.

Las Anod is in the Sool and Sanaag regions, which are claimed by both states of Somaliland and Puntland in Somalia. The current fighting broke out after local clan elders issued a declaration stating that they are no longer part of Somaliland and that the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions are now governed by the government of Somalia.

Both sides are reportedly using heavy artillery and machine guns, causing serious damage, including to health facilities in the area.