War-risk insurance may increase humanitarian costs

United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Randolph Kent said that the pull-out of UN international staff from Somalia on Monday would have to stand until insurance companies were able to renegotiate war-risk coverage for flights. He said the full implications of the global financial consequences of the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September were not yet known, but may make humanitarian operations more expensive. However, he emphasised that the evacuation had nothing to do with security in Somalia, saying the UN remained committed to increasing its presence in Somalia as soon as possible. Commenting on the fact that Somalia had been put on a list of countries compiled by the US as having links with terrorist organisations, Kent said: "We have no indications about the consequences of being on a particular list of a particular member state.... The fact of the matter is [that] the UN system has a primary responsibility to those in need." He said he was frustrated that the evacuation would be widely perceived as a reflection of the UN's attitude to security, rather than a technical problem. [See IRIN interview with Randolph Kent, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia]