The top United Nations humanitarian official Thursday expressed his growing alarm at the continuing abuses and civilian casualties in the conflict in Somalia, as well as the challenges faced by humanitarian workers who are increasingly the target of violence.
"All parties to this conflict have an obligation under international law to protect civilians and to refrain from indiscriminate attacks," said John Holmes, coordinator for the UN Humanitarian Affairs.
"Yet it seems at every turn, the death toll of ordinary Somalis is growing. Far too many of them are women, children or aid workers who have no part in this conflict," Holmes said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that dozens of civilians have died in bomb and mortar attacks in Mogadishu in the past week.
The deaths, along with the current massive displacement of civilians by fighting in Belet Weyne and the latest killing of an aid worker, underline the toll the conflict is taking on civilian populations and the relief operation.
On Sunday, 20 women participating in a food-for-work street-cleaning program were killed when a roadside bomb was detonated. Forty other civilian bystanders were injured. The following day, at least 10 civilians were killed when a mortar shell landed on a residence in Mogadishu.
The OCHA stresses that aid workers, who have been subjected to attacks in increasing numbers, are more and more challenged to reach people with the assistance they require.
"The humanitarian situation has deteriorated steadily in the 18months that I have been Emergency Relief Coordinator," Holmes added, "and has now reached unprecedented desperate levels, even in the context of Somalia over the last 18 years."
Holmes urged all parties to allow unhindered humanitarian access wherever assistance is required by populations in need and to respect the neutrality and safety of humanitarian workers.
Nearly 2.6 million people in Somalia need humanitarian assistance, a 40 percent increase in the number of vulnerable people since January 2008. Some 3.5 million Somalis, or almost 50 percent of the total population, could require help by the end of the year, according to the OCHA.
Source:Xinhua
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