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Somalia

UN humanitarian chief: Parties to Somalia's conflict must protect civilians and respect international law

(New York, 24 April 2008): 'Combatants appear to have little regard for the safety of civilians in Mogadishu, where residents have been traumatized by years of violence,' the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said today.

'Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes during the past year, and the violence has hindered the delivery of relief aid to those who remain and those who have sought safety outside the city,' Mr. Holmes added.

He was particularly referring to the violence that occurred in Mogadishu over the weekend of 19-20 April, when scores of civilians were killed and some 200 were reported wounded. During the fighting, heavy artillery was used in residential areas and was reportedly one of the reasons for the high civilian casualties.

He also strongly condemned the brutal killings that occurred on 20 April at Al-Hidaya Mosque in Heliwaa district of Mogadishu, where women and children were present.

The Emergency Relief Coordinator believes that there has been an increasing trend of indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilians by all parties to the conflict, in contravention of International Humanitarian Law. Those who are responsible include members of recognized armed forces who should be held accountable for their actions, Mr. Holmes emphasized, but non-state actors are equally bound by the obligations of international law.

There is a clear correlation between the ongoing violence and the massive displacement of people from Mogadishu. Some 750,000 of Mogadishu's residents have already fled their homes in the city over the past year, and continue fleeing at an average rate of 20,000 each month.

The violence in Mogadishu comes at a time when security is deteriorating in other areas of Somalia too, resulting in a humanitarian crisis for the population. Aid workers have been attacked in Puntland, and relief agencies have reduced their presence there, even while drought unfolds.

Two million people in Somalia are currently in need of humanitarian assistance or livelihood support. This figure is expected to increase as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly.

For further information, please call:

Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679;

John Nyaga, OCHA-NY, + 1 917 367 9262;

Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570.

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.

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