Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 30, 1998.


Somalia has been without a central government since its last president, dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, fled the country in 1991. Subsequent fighting among rival faction leaders resulted in the killing, dislocation, and starvation of thousands of Somalis and led the United Nations to intervene militarily in 1992.

Serious fighting among rival clans continued in Mogadishu, in the region outside of Baidoa, and in the area around Kismayo. The violence had

Although Rift Valley fever has been confirmed in the current outbreak affecting humans and livestock in Kenya and Somalia, it is evident that other causes have contributed to the high rate of haemorrhagic symptoms and deaths among both humans and animals. Laboratory investigations at the WHO Collaborating Centres at Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi, National Institute for Virology in Johannesburg and at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta have tested specimens from Kenya and Somalia for a wide range of infectious agents but so far

After an unseasonable 2-month-long deluge, Somalia's deyr (secondary season) rains began tapering off in December. Nevertheless, responding to the aftermath of the catastrophic floods remains the focus of aid agencies, NGO's, and affected communities who face severe food shortages and serious health problems due to the collapse of water and sanitation systems.

Phase 1 of the relief operations 'rescue and survival of flood victims under very tough conditions'successfully relieved the worst immediate effects of the floods and averted a greater loss of life. Some 2,800 MT

SOMALIA INTER-AGENCY FLOOD RESPONSE

- Weekly Report / 21.1.- 27.1.98 -

Number of people reported killed to date: confirmed deaths: 2,161
Number of people remaining at risk: approximately 1 Million

Livestock reported killed so far: more than 33,500
Food stocks destroyed: more than 60,000 hectares of crops and farmland destroyed. Famine Early Warning System (FEWS)/Somalia estimates losses of Gu=12 crops in traditional underground granaries due to the floods and rain water seepage at 31,100 tones. The upcoming

HUMANITARIAN UPDATE

Update on Floods in Somalia.

International organizations continued to bring assistance to flood affected areas focusing at the same time on the emerging health problems related to the flood disaster. Well chlorination and social mobilization regarding cholera awareness continue. Additional supplies for malaria and diarrhea treatment are being distributed. Food aid continues. By 18 January 1998 a total of 4,865.12 mt of food aid had been distributed and dispatched to flood affected areas benefitting

ICRC News 98/03

"We gathered everything we could: pieces of sheet metal, boards, uprooted bushes and cardboard floating on the water."
Sitting in front of a makeshift hut, the mother of a large group of ragged children relates her struggle for survival during the
recent flooding. The worst time was November, when the inhabitants of Marere were forced to seek refuge on dikes built
along the Juba river, near where it flows into the Indian Ocean. Protected from the torrent, several thousand people built the

Weekly News

With efforts to contain Rift Valley Fever severely hampered by limited logistical resources, the disease continues to spread. It has claimed more than 450 lives in Kenya's flood-stricken North Eastern Province and in southern Somalia. Medical personnel also fear the region may be faced with a new, more virulent strain of the fever. Because of the difficulty in controlling the disease and access to much of the region is hindered by flood waters, the Federation is concerned that neither surveillance nor

Revised 20 Jan 1998

An outbreak of hemorrhagic fever is occurring in remote parts of northeastern Kenya and southern Somalia following exceptionally heavy rains. Recent WHO reports indicate that new cases are appearing in Kenya's North-Eastern, Eastern, Rift Valley, and Central and Coast provinces, which include some national parks. The WHO reports that as many as 300 persons in Kenya and 460 in Somalia have died. Large losses of domestic animals, especially goats and cattle, are also reported. Accurate estimates of the outbreak