Hiiraan Online
Saturday January 27, 2018
FILE - Displaced Somali girls who fled the drought in southern Somalia stand in a queue to receive food handouts at a feeding center in a camp in Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 25, 2017.
Mogadishu (HOL) - International Organisation for Migration (IOM) this week opened an office in Dallow town of Gedo region aimed at responding to the large scale of displacement due to drought and insecurity.
Last year, thousands of people were affected by drought in the rural town that shares a border with Ethiopia.
Kevin Merkelz, who spoke on behalf IOM said the office continues to host both newly displaced persons and those in situations of protracted displacement.
“IOM’s work in Dollow would not be possible without the steadfast support and goodwill of the local authorities, the establishment of this office demonstrates our commitment to serve the affected communities of Dollow in 2018 and beyond, IOM has scaled up its emergency response programming in the region,” Merkelz noted.
By May 2017, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) estimated that over 40,000 individuals lived across 58 IDP sites.
According to the agency, the figure increased to 75,684 by September 2017, when the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster undertook a Detailed Site Assessment.
The agency has been operational in Somalia since 2006, working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia, regional authorities, other UN agencies, donor governments, and civil society to address migration challenges.
ION has other offices in Hiraan region, Puntland and the breakaway Somaliland.