Tuesday June 6, 2023
People fleeing drought and conflict arrive in camps in Baidoa, in south-central Somalia, in August 2022. A record stretch of below-average rainfall has left 7.6 million Somalis in need of assistance.
Two aid workers died in Somalia between January and March this year, the UN humanitarian agency said Monday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that a total of 112 access incidents were reported across the country during the period of the first quarter.
"At least 12 of these incidents (11 percent) involved violence against humanitarians. Such acts of violence encompassed coercion, extortion, intimidation, harassment and verbal abuse," OCHA said in its latest humanitarian report published Sunday.
The UN agency said a humanitarian worker lost his life due to a stray bullet during the recent conflict in Las Anod town in northern Somalia. "This unfortunate event serves as a poignant reminder of the perilous risks faced by humanitarian workers operating in conflict zones," OCHA said.
It said a vehicle rented by a non-governmental organization overturned near Goobweyn village in southern Somalia, resulting in the death of one person and four injuries in February.
According to OCHA, movement restrictions were the most frequently reported access constraint and resulted from multiple factors including military operations.
The UN agency said security checkpoints, many of which are fee-bearing, hinder safe, timely and unimpeded humanitarian access.