When bullets tore through the streets of Kismayu in June, leaving over 70 dead as rival militias fought twice for control of the Somali port city, many international aid agencies halted a cautious scale-up of activities.
One of the few to stay was the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“For us, conflict means casualties. We are doctors; we have to be there,” Omar Saleh, WHO Somalia’s emergency health co-ordinator, said last week.
But for most international organisations – many of which had just returned to Kismayu after militant Islamists Al Shabaab were driven out late last year – the June violence proved too dangerous.
The recent disputes over Jubaland, a state-within-a-state whose leadership and borders are not recognised by the administration in Mogadishu, constitute a test of federal principles outlined in Somalia’s provisional constitution. The central government also seeks control of, and revenue from, Kismayu – Jubaland’s de facto capital.
Jubaland, which, in its maximum extent is considered to include the regions of Gedo and Lower and Middle Juba, has 87,000km2 of mainly fertile land, and some 1.3 million people of many different clan allegiances.
The Jubaland issue is also complicating relations between the central government in Mogadishu, regional powers Kenya and Ethiopia, and the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia (Amisom). And with key players in Kismayu temporarily distracted, the crisis could be giving Al Shabaab a much-needed breather to regroup.
These developments threaten gains made this year by aid agencies, and risk extending an already complex humanitarian situation in the city, where 60,000 people are in need of aid, according to estimates by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“Whenever territory is taken by military operations, there is at least a temporary lag setting up a functioning administration. This hampers the ability of humanitarians to access people in need,” Philippe Lazzarini, the UN’s top humanitarian official for Somalia said.
“The change in power can stoke insecurity rooted in competition among rival factions, as we saw in Kismayu and the Juba regions,” he added.
For several years, Kismayu, 200km north of the Kenyan border, was a key stronghold and source of income for Al Shabaab. The militants took control of the city in August 2008, after defeating the militia of Barre Adan Shire (widely known as Hiiraale), and remained in control of it until their defeat in September 2012.
Kismayu was a key target in Amisom’s operation against Al Shabaab – the militants controlled the lucrative charcoal trade out of the port and also taxed imported goods.
While civilians reported some stability during Al Shabaab’s control of the city, there were also limited livelihood opportunities, and access to education and healthcare was often difficult. Al Shabaab also banned polio vaccination in Kismayu and elsewhere in south-central Somalia, and according to reports, the group forcibly taxed and recruited the city’s residents.
Source: Theeastafrican.co.ke
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In Kismayu, fragile peace or a gathering storm?
When bullets tore through the streets of Kismayu in June, leaving over 70 dead as rival militias fought twice for control of the Somali port city, many international aid agencies halted a cautious scale-up of activities. One of the few to stay was