Situation overview
Following relative calm, the security situation and access in Gaalkacyo has slowly improved since the last Flash Update issued on 8 December 2015. The humanitarian staff who were temporarily relocated out of Gaalkacyo due to insecurity have now returned.
Of the estimated 90,000 people who were displaced from Gaalkacyo (both IDPs and host community) to nearby villages and internally displaced people settlements, more than 90 percent of internally displaced people and 70 percent of the displaced host community have returned to their settlements and homes, according to the Protection cluster. Most of the displaced people had sought refuge in nearby villages and internally displaced people’s (IDP) settlements on the outskirts of north and south Gaalkacyo as a result of the armed conflict which broke out on 22 November. The relative calm and withdrawal of armed elements from both sides (Galmudug and Puntland) encouraged people to return to their homes and businesses.
Temporal and mobile health facilities established at the peak of the emergency have now been closed following the resumption of the provision of health services in all the main hospitals and health facilities in the town. Humanitarian partners are conducting assessments to ascertain the needs of the vulnerable people who have returned to their homes and settlements, as well as those who may not have returned due to other reasons. The flow of commercial activities and services between the two sides of the town is gradually returning to normal. Schools have reopened.
The armed conflict which erupted in Gaalkacyo on 22 and 28 November and again on 3 December 2015 left an estimated 35 people dead and another 165 injured, according to local authorities.
Humanitarian impact and needs
An assessment conducted by the Danish Refugee Council in six IDP settlements on 8 December revealed that displaced people lacked access to adequate food and nutrition and that latrines and shelters in most of the visited settlements had been destroyed. The destruction of latrines and shelter raised fears of disease outbreaks and protection concerns including the possible occurrence of sexual and gender based violence.
Public sanitation and water facilities such as elevated water tanks, some belonging to learning institutions, were destroyed or damaged during fighting. Education was also disrupted and the school syllabus delayed by three weeks. Partners also reported increased cases of malnutrition. There were also reports of respiratory and skin infections.