Aid Agencies Urge UN to Ensure Separation between Humanitarian and Political efforts in Somalia

Nine international aid agencies have highlighted the “urgent need for separation between humanitarian and political efforts in Somalia” in a letter to John Holmes, the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs with the United Nations (UN) in Somalia.

The letter, dated July 27, stated that the blurring of humanitarian and political efforts has reached “dangerous proportions.”
It went on to add: “There are few people working in Somalia who do not recognize that perception can be the difference between life and death.”

Following threats by Islamic militants on three UN agencies, senior UN personnel have warned of “serious consequences for life-saving assistance efforts.” Yet those UN agencies that were targeted were not directly involved in providing humanitarian assistance.
“These statements and the ongoing UN positions on Somalia are examples of how political efforts are being deliberately and unacceptably intertwined with humanitarian activities,” continued the letter.

The people of Somalia have endured intolerable suffering over the last 20 years. Today, nearly half of the entire population requires humanitarian assistance due to persistent drought, periodic flooding and ongoing conflict.

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