HIGHLIGHTS
- Refugee returns from Kenya to Somalia continue
- Post-Gu assessment projects a gloomy food security outlook
- AWD/cholera cases decline due to robust response
- Humanitarian funding to Somalia declines but needs remain high
Refugees continue to trickle back home
Some 11,000 Somalis return from Kenya in the first half of 2016
An estimated 11,000 Somali refugees returned from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya in the first half of 2016, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This is nearly twice the number of refugees who were assisted to return in 2015. Nearly 3,000 refugees returned in the month of June alone, the highest since the start of 2016. April and May however recorded a decline due to the rainy season. In total, nearly 17,000 refugees have returned from Kenya to Somalia since December 2014. Many of the returnees travel by road through Dhobley where partners have established a transit way station to facilitate arrivals. Others travel by air, mainly to Baidoa, Kismayo and Mogadishu. The highest numbers of returnees has been recorded in Baidoa, Bardheere, Bu’aale, Luuq, Kismayo and Mogadishu. At the Baidoa, Kismayo and Luuq way stations, new arrivals receive humanitarian assistance such as food, water and medical including facilitation and reintegration.
The returns are within the parameters of the 2013 tripartite agreement framework between Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR to help Somali refugees from Dadaab to voluntarily return to Somalia. To date, there are designated areas of return identified. In May 2016, the Kenyan government, driven by what it described as security concerns, announced its intention to expedite the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp. On 25 June, the Tripartite Commission for the Voluntary Repatriation of Somali Refugees living in Kenya met in Nairobi to discuss the modalities of the repatriation process. The Commission directed the Tripartite Technical Committee to conclude concrete operational modalities and support measures which ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary return and sustainable reintegration of the returnees. In order to boost the response, UNHCR has developed an Action Plan which provides for an enhanced return assistance to address the most immediate humanitarian needs of the returnees as well as catalyze reintegration support through community-based projects in the key areas of return.
This plan will be further reviewed and enriched by the Somalia Humanitarian Country Team to contribute to the medium and longer term goals to attain a durable solution for returnees and internally displaced people.
Food security outlook worrisome
Humanitarian situation could worsen
The food security situation for southern and central Somalia is increasingly worrying. The Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) projects a deterioration of food security situation in parts of southern and central Somalia in the post-Gu period (July - December 2016) due to poor Gu and the Hagaa (June - July) seasonal rains. The 2016 Gu harvest is expected to be 30 to 50 per cent below average in southern Somalia. The shortfall is in part, due to poor rains, moisture stress, pest infestation and the damage caused by the floods in the riverine areas of Hiraan and Middle Shabelle regions. Some of the areas projected to receive below average harvests like Bay and Lower Shabelle, often account for 80 per cent of the cereal production in southern regions. The next Deyr rainy season (October-December) is also likely to be below average in most parts of the country in the likely event of a La Niña. Hiraan and Middle Shabelle regions where floods affected nearly 70,000 people and the coastal areas are expected to be the most affected, according to FSNAU.
The gloomy outlook for southern and central regions compounds an already dire humanitarian situation across Somalia. In the northern areas of Puntland and Somaliland where an estimated 385,000 people face acute food insecurity and nearly 1.3 million people are at risk of sliding into acute food insecurity, the impact of the El Nino induced drought remains and the recovery is slow. Some parts of Somaliland and most areas in Puntland and southern regions recorded depressed rains, which will likely affect availability of water for livestock and human consumption in the coming months. The April to June 2016 Gu rains provided some relief and reduced the impact of the drought in parts of Puntland and Somaliland but did not translate into improved conditions as the rains were erratic and stopped earlier than expected. Overall, the humanitarian situation across the country remains precarious.
Humanitarians revise Call for Aid
As part of efforts to mitigate a deterioration of the situation in the drought-affected areas of Puntland and Somaliland as well as mobilize resources to boost response, the Humanitarian Country team is revising the Call for Aid launched in March 2016. The revised Call for Aid will map out a strategy for supporting recovery following four consecutive seasons of below average rainfall in Somaliland and one in Puntland that have compromised the coping capacities of many families. It covers the three-month period from July to September 2016, and builds on the initial Call for Aid, Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2016 and the Somalia Contingency Plan for El Niño developed in September 2015. It aligns with priorities outlined in the 2016 HRP related to drought in Somaliland and Puntland and emerging needs.
Of the US$127 million required as of 31 March, $49 million has been funded already. These resources have enabled some clusters to scale up response.