Security problems may affect aid plans

Aid agencies in Somalia expect to reach hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people but insecurity may limit their access, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned.

"Right now humanitarian access is not guaranteed; it is still precarious in many parts of the country," Philippe Lazzarini, head of OCHA in Somalia, said on Monday.

While "access was impeded by a series of incidents and lack of authority", he added, some parts of the country were inaccessible because of the ongoing conflict between the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) and the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

The warning comes amid reports of rising tensions in the capital of Mogadishu after overnight attacks on government forces and Ethiopian troop positions, local sources told IRIN.

On Monday, President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed arrived in Mogadishu for the first time since he was elected in 2004. He was welcomed by Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi amid tight security.

"Unidentified gunmen attacked a government force’s compound and a passing Ethiopian convoy in the K4 area at around 8:15 pm [local time]," a local resident said. "There was a heavy exchange of fire for about 20 minutes." Residents reported three dead bodies and two injured soldiers.

The Sunday night attacks exacerbated tensions in the city after a weekend of demonstrations in which a 13-year-old boy was killed. The demonstrators were protesting against a government disarmament programme and the presence of Ethiopian troops backing the TFG.

Their action forced the government to indefinitely postpone the forcible disarmament of Mogadishu residents.

In a situation report issued on Friday, OCHA cited various incidents involving aid workers in recent days, which could severely limit efforts by humanitarian agencies.

"Momentum now exists in Somalia that may enable the establishment of some degree of governance, law and order, and humanitarian actors are assessing the unfolding situation with regard to humanitarian re-engagement on an increased level," the report said.

"However, serious concerns exist about the return of warlords, particularly with reports of increased lawlessness, roaming freelance militia and reestablishment of checkpoints," it added.

Noting that "there have been incidents of NGO staff being subject to harassment and arbitrary detention by Ethiopian military", the report said two aid flights were refused permission to offload at K50, "with the passenger flight being forced to return to Nairobi and the cargo flight carrying UNICEF supplies being rerouted to Jowhar" on 3 January.

On 4 January, another aid flight was refused landing permission at Kismayo. "Ongoing military air operations and other logistical and security constraints make it impossible at present to run air operations out of Kismayo," Lazzarini said. The air operations were helping thousands of people displaced by the recent floods.

An estimated 65,000-70,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the fighting between the TFG and the UIC. At least 1,000 people are estimated to have been killed, mostly between Mogadishu and Baidoa in south and central zones, of whom 700 have not been buried, the UN World Health Organisation said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the United States Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer has concluded her tour of the region after meeting Gedi and speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.

The trip, she told reporters, was intended to mobilise international support to help build the governance capacity of Somalia's Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs); accelerate the proposed deployment of an African stabilisation force and encourage talks between the TFIs and other Somali stakeholders.

She announced an initial "down-payment" of US $40 million in new assistance for Somalia from the US.

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