VZCZCXRO3876
RR RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #0169/01 0100525
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100525Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6538
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0023
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NAIROBI 000169 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
 
USAID/DCHA FOR MHESS, WGARVELINK, LROGERS 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, GGOTTLIEB, AFERRARA, ACONVERY, 
CGOTTSCHALK, KCHANNELL 
DCHA/FFP FOR WHAMMINK, JDWORKEN 
AFR/AFR/EA FOR JBORNS 
STATE FOR AF/E AND PRM 
STATE/AF/E FOR NGARY 
STATE/PRM FOR AWENDT, MMCKELVEY 
NSC FOR TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PHUM PREL SO
 
SUBJECT:  SOMALIA DART SITUATION REPORT 1 
 
 
NAIROBI 00000169  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
Summary 
 
¶1.  As of January 4, the UN does not expect to issue a 
Flash Appeal or a revised Consolidated Appeals Process 
(CAP) for Somalia.  As the humanitarian community 
adapts to the evolving situation, Lower Juba, Middle 
Juba, and Middle Shabelle regions have emerged as 
agencies' top response priorities.  The health, 
nutrition, food security, and protection sectors are of 
primary humanitarian concern.  The closure of the 
Kenyan border has caused hundreds of Somalis to be 
deported from Kenya and prevented thousands from 
leaving Somalia.  Passage of humanitarian vehicles from 
Kenya into Somalia continues to be limited.  New 
reports of increasing harassment of humanitarian staff 
underscore the challenges of re-engaging in Somalia. 
End Summary. 
 
OCHA Somalia Meeting 
 
¶2.  On January 3, USAID's Bureau for Democracy, 
Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/DCHA) 
activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to 
assist in coordinating and responding to the 
humanitarian needs in Somalia.  Team members attended 
the Somalia donor coordination meeting on January 4, at 
which the UN Office for the Coordination of 
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that despite the 
recent fighting in Somalia, the strategic priorities of 
the 2007 CAP will continue to guide the humanitarian 
response in Somalia.  This reflects the consensus 
within the humanitarian community that the conflict has 
not created significant new needs.  However, Somalis 
continue to suffer from the effects of drought and 
flooding.  The following sections summarize the key 
points of the meeting. 
 
Current Somalia Context 
 
¶3.  There has been no large-scale fighting in Somalia 
since December 28, but agencies have begun to report 
conflict-related injuries and deaths.  Recently, the 
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 
reported that 800 people had sustained injuries as a 
result of the conflict.  Additionally, the Somali 
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) requested the 
assistance of the International Labor Organization 
(ILO) in burying 1,000 corpses in Bay Region.  (These 
figures are estimates, although it is clear that the 
conflict caused casualties, accurate figures are 
unavailable.) 
 
¶4.  The Council of Islamic Courts (CIC) appears to have 
been defeated, but its continuing presence in Somalia 
is a potential danger for aid agencies seeking to 
resume activities.  Additionally, former warlords are 
reportedly returning to power in several towns, causing 
concern among aid agencies. 
 
¶5.  The TFG Prime Minister Ali Muhammed Gedi has called 
for the resumption of humanitarian activities.  Against 
a backdrop of increasing insecurity and lack of access 
in Somalia, humanitarian agencies are carefully 
planning how to redeploy staff and restart activities. 
Many have not resumed full activities due to the 
continuing uncertainty in Somalia. 
 
Current Response Priorities 
 
¶6.  Despite the recent fighting, current response 
 
NAIROBI 00000169  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
priorities remain largely unchanged from those 
following the flooding.  Lower Juba Region is the most 
severely affected area.  The last assistance that it 
received was on December 25, when the UN World Food 
Program (WFP) completed an air-drop.  Middle Juba and 
Middle Shabelle regions are the next priority locations 
for relief assistance.  Livestock vaccinations and 
surveillance to prevent Rift Valley Fever (RVF) are 
needed along the Kenyan border.  Agencies at the 
meeting emphasized that the response should be driven 
by need, not the level of access they have to an area. 
 
¶7.  OCHA stated that the strategic priorities in the 
2007 CAP remain valid; a revised CAP or Flash Appeal 
are not planned.  CAP priorities include a focus on 
south and central Somalia, internally displaced persons 
(IDPs), and early recovery.  OCHA reported that the 
flood response plan is 54 percent funded as of January 
4, and additional support for early recovery is needed, 
and also emphasized that helping the TFG establish law 
and order is a priority.  Furthermore, durable 
solutions for IDPs, including 250,000 in Mogadishu 
(from earlier rounds of conflict and drought), are 
needed.  Finally, OCHA stated that donor support is 
needed to move the humanitarian operation from Nairobi 
into Somalia, including funding for improving compounds 
and purchasing vehicles. 
 
Population Movements 
 
¶8.  OCHA reported that 4,500 families have been 
displaced in Galkayo, Mudug Region, in the last two 
months.  Those displaced in Galkayo have mostly come 
from Hiraan and Galgadud regions and include new and 
old caseloads.  OCHA emphasized that most recent 
displacement (estimated at a maximum of 40,000 people) 
was localized and temporary due to the rapid nature of 
the TFG/Ethiopian advance.  Many IDPs are expected to 
return to their homes, largely undamaged by the recent 
fighting.  The next few weeks offer a window of 
opportunity to find sustainable solutions for Somalis 
displaced by multiple shocks of drought, flooding, and 
conflict, the agency believes. 
 
Kenya Border Closure 
 
¶9.  On January 3, Kenya closed its border with Somalia, 
preventing asylum seekers from leaving Somalia.  As a 
result, on January 4, the UN Office of the High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that 400 
Somali women and children were deported to Doble, 
Somalia, from the Liboi border in Kenya.  An additional 
4,000 people are reportedly gathered in Doble hoping to 
flee to Kenya.  (This figure may not be accurate, and 
the UN is trying to verify it.)  Their immediate needs 
reportedly include shelter, health, water, and food. 
UNHCR is unable to access the asylum seekers from 
within Somalia or from the Kenyan side of the border. 
As of January 4, the Government of Kenya (GOK) and the 
TFG had not granted permission to access them.  Even if 
permission is granted, insecurity may limit relief 
organizations' ability to provide basic services and 
food. 
 
¶10.  The UNHCR representative criticized the closure of 
the border on humanitarian principles and said that the 
UN is currently working with the GOK and the TFG to 
allow non-combatants, especially women and children, to 
seek refuge in Kenya and permit the transport of relief 
supplies via truck from Kenya into Somalia.  On January 
 
NAIROBI 00000169  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
4, Ambassador demarched Foreign Minister Tuju, urging 
Kenya's compliance with its international humanitarian 
obligations.  Since the border closure, UN agencies 
report that a limited number of trucks have crossed 
into Somalia from Liboi. 
 
Flood Response Interrupted 
 
¶11.  The renewed fighting interrupted the humanitarian 
community's flood response targeting the 454,000 people 
displaced by the November-December floods, including 
USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance 
(USAID/OFDA)-funded nutrition, health, food security, 
agriculture, water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. 
The latest fighting occurred as the flood response was 
building up capacity and agencies were beginning to 
reach inaccessible, highly vulnerable areas, such as 
Lower Juba Region. 
 
¶12.  USAID/OFDA provided 12 Zodiac boats and motors to 
the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), valued at $243,000, to 
facilitate response efforts in flood-affected regions 
where damaged and destroyed roads and infrastructure 
are impeding access and restricting the distribution of 
relief supplies.  In addition, USAID/OFDA has approved 
$250,000 from its 2006 contribution to UNICEF's rapid 
response fund to assist flood victims in Somalia, and 
also provided $1.5 million to support UNICEF's flood 
and conflict interventions in the health and water, 
sanitation, and hygiene sectors. 
 
Humanitarian Concerns 
 
¶13.  Health and Nutrition:  On January 8, the UN World 
Health Organization (WHO) announced that cholera has 
been confirmed in Kismayo, Lower Juba Region, and 
Jilib, Middle Juba Region.  However, WHO reports that 
the disease has been contained and medicine and other 
health supplies are being provided.  Non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs) and UN agencies are worried about 
an increase in cases of Acute Watery Diarrhea, 
especially in Lower Juba Region.  Given Somalia's 
proximity to Kenya, RVF is also a concern.  Kenya 
confirmed several cases of RVF in December.  As of 
January 4, OCHA reported that no cases of RVF in 
livestock or humans had been confirmed in Somalia 
(although Somalia's disease surveillance system is weak 
in flood and conflict-affected areas).  Malnutrition 
remains a concern in south and central Somalia where 
flooding and conflict has prevented vulnerable children 
from accessing feeding programs. 
 
¶14.  Food Security:  The conflict interrupted post- 
flood recessional planting, impacting farmers' ability 
to benefit from the high-levels of rainfall and flood 
waters.  The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 
has temporarily suspended seed distribution in Lower 
and Middle Juba regions, but plans to resume 
distribution in the coming weeks, security permitting. 
FAO has already completed seed distribution for 
recessional planting in Hiraan Region.  OCHA is 
concerned that the recent increase in food prices and 
the closure of the Garissa livestock market will impact 
food security. (The Garissa livestock market is located 
in Kenya and was closed by the GOK to help control RVF. 
It serves as the main market for livestock from 
northeastern Kenya and Somalia.) 
 
¶15.  Protection:  Relief agencies report a surge in 
recruitment of child soldiers prior to and at the onset 
 
NAIROBI 00000169  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
of this conflict, especially by the CIC, and the 
subsequent abandonment of them as the CIC withdrew. 
Additionally, Puntland authorities have been unable to 
distinguish the combatants from the non-combatants 
among the families currently arriving in the region, 
and have separated men from their families and deported 
them to southern Somalia. 
 
Increasingly Dangerous Operating Environment 
 
¶16.  UN agencies and NGOs in the OCHA meeting reported 
an increase in staff harassment.  The week of January 
1, Ethiopian troops detained four UN staff for two days 
despite attempts to negotiate for their freedom.  One 
NGO reported that a staff member returning from 
northern Somalia to Mogadishu had been arrested and 
detained.  Several NGOs stated that TFG authorities and 
the Ethiopian military are suspicious of humanitarian 
staff traveling within Somalia and have arrested NGO 
staff as a result.  On January 3, between Mogadishu and 
Merka, Ethiopian troops detained and harassed five 
staff of the NGO Concern at gun point, accusing the 
team of being Al Qaida members.  The staff members were 
traveling in vehicles clearly marked as humanitarian. 
Humanitarian organizations also report an increase in 
banditry in larger urban and peri-urban areas in newly 
held TFG territory.  At the OCHA meeting, donors were 
requested to advocate for the protection of 
humanitarian workers. 
 
Conclusion 
 
¶17.  The next few weeks are a critical time in Somalia, 
and the humanitarian community is poised to respond to 
the needs of the flood and conflict-affected 
communities.  However, insecurity, attacks on aid 
workers, and a fluid political and military situation 
are considerable obstacles for agencies seeking to re- 
engage in Somalia.  The DART is working with current 
partners to adapt their programs to respond to the 
opportunities the shifting context offers. 
 
RANNEBERGER