28.11.11
16 INGO and UN offices across South Central Somalia have been overtaken by Al-Shabaab, among them the Danish Refugee Council’s compounds in Beledweyne and Bulo Burto.
A statement issued today by Al-Shabaab lists 16 INGOs and UN agencies as unwanted in South Central Somalia. This was followed by a coordinated action against compounds belonging to the aid agencies involved, among them offices belonging to the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Beledweyne and Bulo Burte in the Hiraan Region.
”Al-Shabaab has taken over our compounds. Their action was undramatic but it does unfortunately prevent us from providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance in the affected areas at the moment,” says Ann Mary Olsen, head of the International Department of DRC.
The action by Al-Shabaab came unexpected, however, at a time characterized by a generally deteriorating security situation in the area, not least due to the current military operations initiated by the neighbouring countries. The impact on the DRC operations in the short term is not severe, as steps were already taken toward downsizing most of the activities in Hiraan.
“It is a sad development not least in the light of the people of Somalia being in dire need of humanitarian aid due to drought and years of armed conflict. The struggling people of Somalia need all the help they can get, therefore we hope and trust that we and the other organisations involved are soon again able to resume our humanitarian operations,” says Ann Mary Olsen.
DRC has worked in Somalia since 1998 and is recognized and acknowledged in the region. While the activities in Hiraan are momentarily on hold, DRC continues the humanitarian assistance in the rest of Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland. In South Central Somalia humanitarian assistance continues in three regions, including the capital Mogadishu.
Among the activities of DRC in Somalia is the provision of shelter and protection, aid packages and daily meals in Mogadishu for tens of thousands of internally displaced people. The Danish Refugee Council and its demining unit provide emergency relief and assistance to an estimated 450,000 people in the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
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