Somalia: Thousands displaced by rains and clashes

NAIROBI, 8 June 2010 (IRIN) - Renewed militia fighting and heavy rains in Somalia's central regions of Hiiraan and Galgadud have forced thousands of people to abandon their homes, say officials.

Locals told IRIN fresh fighting between pro-government Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a - a traditional Sufi movement - and Al-Shabab broke out in Galgadud region on 3 June and continued for two days.

"Our estimate is that about 5,000 families [30,000] have fled the towns of Dusamareb, Eil Dheer, Mareer Gur and Gadon and Bula'le and are now displaced," Abdulkadir Mohamud, an official of a local NGO known as Towfiq, said in Dusamareb, the regional capital.

He said even though the fighting stopped short of Dusamareb, most displacement occurred there. "They [Al-Shabab] came as close as 10km from the town; it was a fear-driven displacement."

Ali Sheikh Yassin of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organization (EHRO) said the displaced were living in difficult conditions due to insufficient aid in the areas to which they had fled.

"There is no aid agency present in the area due to the insecurity so there is no one helping them," he said.

However, he said there was a good chance of accessing the displaced "since they are in areas under the control of Ahlu Sunna".

Ilmi Abdulle, a local elder in Dusamareb, told IRIN the area was enjoying good rains but that the fighting had scattered people over a wide area.

"We had just come out of a very bad drought; this was a time to enjoy God's bounty but now people are running for their lives," Abdulle said.

He said "shelter and food are the most urgent needs" of the displaced. "It is cold at night and mosquitoes are all over the place."

Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a and Al-Shabab have been battling for control of the central regions since Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a routed Al-Shabab from the area in December 2008.

A local aid worker, who requested anonymity, told IRIN Al-Shabab had been pushed back in the most recent fighting.

"They have lost ground but the fear of more fighting is still palpable in the area," he added.

Abdulle said aid agencies should contact the elders and religious leaders if they wanted to help the people. "They [aid groups] should not be intimidated."

Sporadic fighting has been going on across Somalia since Ethiopian troops withdrew in December 2008, pitting African Union-backed government forces and the pro-government Islamist group against Al-Shabab hard-line Islamist insurgents. 

Aid workers estimate that at least 3.2 million Somalis need assistance countrywide while the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates more than a million Somalis are displaced.

Flooding and fighting

Meanwhile, in Beletweyne, the regional capital of Hiiraan, some 4,000 families have been displaced by a combination of flooding and fighting.

"We were dealing with those displaced by the flooding when fighting broke out between pro-government forces and Hisbul Islam [which controlled the town]," said a local aid worker, who requested anonymity.

"Our estimate is that between 4,000 and 5,000 families [24,000 to 30,000 people] have been displaced by both the flooding and the fighting," he added.

A local journalist in Beletweyne told IRIN there was no administration in the town.

"As of today [8 June] Hisbul Islam has left and no one has replaced them," the journalist said. "Basically there is no administration and no one in control here," he said, adding, "I am sure one group or another will fill the vacuum."

He said June had not started well for central Somalia. "The area was enjoying good rains for a change and then you have flooding and escalation of conflict simultaneously. It is as if we are not allowed even a small breather."

ah/mw