Somalia: Flash Update No. 4 Situation in Laas Caanood, Sool Region, 3 April 2023

Key Highlights

• Renewed fighting was reported in Laas Caanood on 1 April. The recurrent fighting continues to displace people, with between 154,000 and 203,000 people estimated to have been displaced since December 2022.

• An estimated 100,000 displaced people have crossed into the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Partners are appealing for US$116 million to provide life-saving assistance to the refugees.

• The situation in Laas Caanood has escalated at a time when people in Sool Region are experiencing unprecedented water shortages due to severe drought and facing an elevated risk of disease outbreaks.

• Humanitarian partners and authorities are coordinating closely to ensure a coherent and effective response and have stepped up assistance in accessible areas.

Situation Overview

Renewed fighting broke out in Laas Caanood on 1 April, after several days of uneasy calm. According to partners, the recurrent fighting continues to displace people from their homes. On 2 April, about 56 families (336 people) who had just been displaced from Adhicadeeye, Guumays, Yagoori and Tuulo Samakaab areas west of Laas Caanood district, reportedly arrived at the outskirts of Kalabeydh village, 28Km southwest of Laas Caanood town. The families reportedly lack safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, shelter/non-food items, food, health and nutrition, and have exerted pressure on already overstretched basic services. While some are staying with relatives, others are living in public places like schools and mosques.

Since the start of fighting, an estimated 100,000 people have crossed into neighbouring Ethiopia, according to UNHCR. On 22 March, humanitarian partners in Ethiopia appealed for US$116 million to provide life-saving assistance to the refugees who are now living in harsh conditions in Ethiopia’s Somali Region. The refugees are mostly women, children and older people as well as unaccompanied and separated children. Partners report that the situation on the ground is dire, with moderate acute malnutrition observed in many of the children under 5 and in pregnant and nursing mothers. There is a high risk of disease outbreaks with worrying reports of measles cases.

Humanitarians are continuing to verify locations and the numbers of people displaced, with various sources estimating that between 154,000 and 203,000 people have been displaced by the fighting since late December 2022. Those displaced within Somalia have reportedly moved into villages in Sool, Togdheer, Nugaal and Mudug regions. An inter-agency assessment mission to Buuhoodle from 11 to 13 March, estimated that over 11,700 families (more than 70,200 people) had been displaced from various places including Laas Caanood, to the 12 assessed villages in the town and surrounding areas. The mission found a limited presence of humanitarian partners in Buuhoodle. Partners are planning another inter-agency needs assessment mission to ten villages located west of Laas Caanood town on 4 April.