UN says thousand forced to flee their homes in Mogadishu

Cesar Arroyo, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said that the displaced include helpless IDPs who had sought refuge in Mogadishu but have again fled to find refuge at the outskirts of the city.

News Keydmedia Online
28 April 2021

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The UN OCHA said it estimates between 60,000 and 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Somali capital, Mogadishu following an outbreak of violence on 25 April.

Cesar Arroyo, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said that the displaced include helpless IDPs who had sought refuge in Mogadishu but have again fled to find refuge at the outskirts of the city.

“Apart from displacing innocent civilians, the violence has created uncertainty and fear of disruptions of humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people across the city,” he added.

The UN official said he is extremely concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Mogadishu which sparked panic among the local residents who started fleeing villages in Hodon and Howlwadag.

Somalia’s outgoing prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has on Wednesday called on the displaced to return to their houses in the capital, urging the security forces to facilitate their peaceful comeback.

Since January, an estimated 173,000 people have been displaced by conflict. This includes 50,000 people who were displaced by violence in 19 villages in Berdale, Galkayo, Cabudwak in Galgaduud province.

The displacement comes at a time that Somalia is experiencing a full-fledged drought, a significant rise in COVID-19 cases, and a serious desert locust infestation.

KEYDMEDIA English