Political developments
Tension continued between Northwest
Somalia ('Somaliland') and Puntland over the disputed Sool region. On 18
February, it was reported that the Puntland Minister of Education had defected
to Somaliland with his vehicle and some militia.
Differences between two leaders of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) Sheikh Aden Madoobe and Mohamed Ibrahim Habasade over the Somali National Reconciliation and Peace Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, continued. Another leader Col Hassan Mohamed Nur (Shatigaduud) was in Nairobi attending the peace talks.
Security developments
Hiran and Galgadud regions of Central Somalia remained unstable. Intermittent conflict between rival clans contributed to rising insecurity in Elbur, Herale and Belet Weyne. Between late January and early February about 10 people were killed in fighting west of Belet Weyne. Traditional elders initiated mediation efforts and calmed the situation.
Fighting: Renewed confrontation between rival clans in the Middle Jubba region resulted in 12 people killed and 36 wounded. Other fighting between rival militia took place in the area of Janaay Abdalla about 60km northwest of Kismayo in Lower Jubba region. The fighting was sparked by a dispute over a borewell. Some two people were killed and six others wounded in the fighting.
Kidnapping: On 29 January, militia kidnapped Rolf Helmrich, a UN security officer who was travelling from Jamame to Kismayo. He was held for 10 days in an area near Jilib town before being released. His release without ransom followed negotiations led by the Jubba Valley Alliance (JVA) which controls Middle and Lower Jubba regions.
Peace process
The Somali National Reconciliation and Peace Conference entered its third and final phase, during which the selection of future parliamentarians and the formation of an interim government will begin. The conference on 23 February endorsed the agreement signed on 29 January 2004 by Somalia leaders. The agreement in January was endorsed by the Transitional National Assembly of Somalia in Mogadishu on 8 February. Though some parties continue to contend some issues, it is hoped that the agreement will hold.
After the endorsement, Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka, who is also the chairman of the ministerial facilitation committee for the Somali peace talks, had, on behalf of the regional grouping, declared the plenary closed and it was now up to clans and their leaders to select their parliamentary representatives.
Somalia's four major clans will each select 61 MPs, and an alliance of small clans will select 31. The task of dividing the seats along subclan lines will be left to each group.
On 25 February, the UN Security Council called on Somali parties taking part in the talks to "reach a peaceful settlement", and warned those blocking progress that it will keep a close watch.
The current Council president, Ambassador Wang Guangya of China, said the Security Council condemned those who obstructed the peace process, and said that all those who persisted in the path of confrontation and conflict would be held accountable.
The Council called on Somalis to build on the progress made at the peace talks which are being held under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in order to establish "a viable transitional government".
UN calls for aid
The United Nations and NGOs operating in Somalia on 27 February appealed for $111 million towards funding humanitarian relief and development assistance to the war-affected Somali population.
Maxwell Gaylard, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, who launched the country's Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) for 2004, urged international donors to quickly respond to the appeal, the proceeds of which would fund the country's only basic social services still existing since its government collapsed in 1991.
"This [appeal] is an indication of the most fundamental needs. It reflects a basic minimum of delivery of social services by the UN and international NGOs," Gaylard said. "It is a matter of stability in the Horn, it just makes sense to help Somalis come together."
He said although the appeal for Somalia for 2004 had been prepared and disseminated before the end of 2003, only four percent of the funds sought had been received by February, nearly a quarter into the year.
UNICEF Operational Areas...
Northwest Zone - Hargeisa Office
Awdal
West Galbeed
Togdheer
Sahil
Sool
Sanaag
Northeast Zone - Bossaso Office
Bari
Nugal
Mudug
Central and Southern Zone - Baidoa, Jowhar, Mogadishu and Kismayo Offices
Galgaduud
Hiran
Middle Shabelle
Lower Shabelle
Benadir
Lower Juba
Middle Juba
Gedo
Bay
Bakool
Health programme update
Meetings: UNICEF participated in meetings of the Cholera Task Force in Mogadishu. Among the members of the task force are Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Spain and the World Health Organization. The task force is charged with managing cholera control, treatment and prevention activities. Cholera is endemic in Somalia with outbreaks between December and June annually. Incidence of diarrhoea during the reporting period subsided.
UNICEF held discussions with representatives of Centre for Research and Dialogue, a Mogadishu-based NGO regarding the provision of health services in Middle Shabelle region. Another meeting was held with MSF-Spain and InterSoS, an Italian NGO in Jowhar, to discuss the possibility of supporting vulnerable people in the vicinity of Jowhar who have been affected by diarrhoea.
Supplies: UNICEF and the Somaliland administration distributed vaccines and immunization supplies to eight health centres and 30 health posts in Togdheer region. In Puntland, UNICEF supplied health facilities and partner organizations with drugs and supplies for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). A total of 2000 clean delivery kits were distributed to 18 health facilities in Bari, Nugal and Mudug regions. Refrigerators were replaced in eight vaccine storage facilities. In Central and Southern Somalia, UNICEF repaired vaccine storage facilities in Jowhar and Mogadishu.
EPI: Staff of UNICEF and those of the Somaliland administration met to plan for immunization that will take place in Galbeed, Awdal and Sahil regions. The meetings took place in Hargeisa, Gabiley and Borama towns. In Puntland, UNICEF staff and counterparts undertook routine monthly surveillance for polio and measles cases.
Nutrition programme update
Survey: UNICEF and Action Contre La Faim (ACF), an international NGO entered an agreement through which ACF will conduct a nutrition survey in Garowe, Dangorayo and Burtinle districts of Nugal region in Puntland. The survey aims to evaluate the nutritional status of children under five years of age in areas affected by drought.
Supplies: UNICEF distributed seven tonnes of Supermix supplementary food to 1250 internally displaced families in camps in Walaq (900 families) and Bilile (350 families) in Wajid district, Bakool region. UNICEF supplied some 200 boxes of high protein biscuits and supplementary food-mix to the therapeutic feeding centre in Huddur, Bakool region.
Training: UNICEF organized nutrition education sessions at three maternal and child health centres (MCH) in Baidoa town, Bay region, to demonstrate to mothers how to prepare local recipes for small children and pregnant women.
Water and Environmental Sanitation programme update
Water projects: Digging and improvement of two wells for the Gabiley Water System in Somaliland continued during the reporting period. In Puntland, UNICEF, partner agencies and the Puntland administration agreed on the location for a new borewell for the Water Supply System in Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland.
UNICEF Somalia is implementing the project, while the local administration and community are also contributing to the project through land, personnel and resources. Drilling started on 27 February.
In Southern Somalia, drilling of the Bufow borewell that serves Merka town was completed and a sample of water sent to Nairobi, Kenya for testing. Drilling of a second borewell in Bufow for the Merka water supply system is continuing. UNICEF evaluated the Luuq water project in Gedo region in preparation for its extension. The assessment covered technical and management aspects of the project. Another assessment was made of a rain-water harvesting project in Rabdhure town, Bakool region.
Hygiene and Sanitation: UNICEF undertook hygiene, sanitation and chlorination training for people in drought-affected areas of Sanaag and Sool. UNICEF supplied chlorine for treatment of drinking water to Erigavo and Burao towns. UNICEF entered into an agreement with six community-based organizations to conduct a baseline survey and undertake hygiene promotion activities in Bari region of Puntland. In Central and Southern Somalia, UNICEF staff visited various locations to ascertain the status of latrine and hand-washing facilities the agency had constructed in schools in Garasweyn, Yed, and Bulow in Hoddur district, Bakol region, and in Merka district of Lower Shabelle region.
Water treatment: UNICEF through an agreement with World Vision is to support chlorination of water sources in Wajid town and surrounding villages as part of diarrhoea diseases' prevention and control efforts.
Emergency
During January, UNICEF and partners provided support to the drought-affected Sool and Sanaag regions in northern Somalia. The support included water tanks and jerricans, which were distributed by Horn Relief, a local NGO. The NGO has rehabilitated 23 wells with UNICEF support, mostly in the Eastern Sanaag area with another 10 scheduled for completion before the end of March. UNICEF is also training people to chlorinate drinking water supplies as well as social mobilizers to raise awareness on sanitation and hygiene in areas affected by drought.
UNICEF staff undertook health and nutrition interventions in some 27 villages. As a result, children were immunized and provided with deworming medicine in addition to treatment for various diseases.
Education programme update
Supplies: Plans have been finalized for UNICEF distribution of education supplies in Northwest, Northeast and Central and Southern Somalia. The supplies include textbooks, teacher's guides, Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) tools and education kits. The education kit contains supplies and materials for a teacher and up to 80 students.
Community mobilization: Some 23 UNICEF-trained community mobilizers started guidance and advice (mentoring) for community education committees (CEC) in 128 schools in Central and Southern Somalia. The exercise aims to raise awareness among CEC members on sustaining education initiatives, prioritizing school needs, managing schools and increasing enrolment.
Teacher-mentoring/guidance activities resumed in 10 regions of Central and Southern Somalia. These activities are being undertaken by mentors/advisors targeting 689 teachers who will be given guidance on new teaching methodology and the utilization of textbooks and school record management tools such as class and pupil registers. Mentors began to work in 212 pilot schools across Somalia in November. Some 59 mentors are currently working with 1751 teachers across Somalia.
Record keeping: A questionnaire on the use of EMIS tools was given to teachers in 40 schools across Somalia. The results of the questionnaire will assist UNICEF to review and revise the existing tools in order to improve the quality of data recorded in them by teachers.
Non-Formal Education: UNICEF conducted a Non-Formal Education (NFE) orientation workshop for its staff and some of its partners in Northwest, Northeast and Central and Southern Somalia. The staff discussed the programme implementation strategy, reviewed the NFE management information systsems [using experiences in the use of primary school registers and record keeping documents], reviewed the NFE teacher mentoring process and other emerging issues. At the end of the workshops, plans for improving NFE were proposed.
Rehabilitation: UNICEF completed the rehabilitation of primary schools in Wagade, Golwein, and Jamame in Southern Somalia.
Youth programme update
As part of the process of enhancing youth development and participation in matters affecting their future in Somalia, UNICEF has, to date, supported about 200 community-based groups across Somalia to provide better life options. These youth groups are run as youth organizations and established through the Leadership and Organizational Development (LOD) training and capacity building initiatives.
Mentoring: In the period under review, activities undertaken included mentoring through which UNICEF-trained mentors/advisors visited youth groups in various locations in Somaliland to discuss issues in Leadership for Organizational Development. The LOD mentors also served as child protection advocates/mobilizers and disseminated information on the Child Protection Study that UNICEF undertook in 2003. Some 13 youth leaders from different organizations took written and oral exams for the recruitment of a new core group of seven youth leaders under the LOD initiative. UNICEF undertook the interviews in collaboration with the Somaliland administration.
In Puntland, UNICEF-trained youth mentors and advisors completed mentoring of three youth groups. The groups were one from Bossaso and two from Galkayo.
Meetings and workshops: UNICEF conducted a three-day youth networking meeting for 32 youth from organizations in Lower Shabelle region of Southern Somalia. Another one-week meeting attended by 23 youth representatives from Northwest, Northeast and Central and Southern Somalia was held in Jowhar town of Central Somalia. Youth guidance and counselling initiatives targeting 101 groups in Central and Southern Somalia continued during the reporting period.
Youth Radio Broadcasting Project: UNICEF staff and representatives of youth groups involved in the Youth Broadcasting Project, resource persons and media representatives met to review the progress of the project in Puntland. The project has trained youth groups in video and radio programme production skills. The youth produce programmes, which are broadcast through local media and video screening centres. The meeting reviewed the quality and quantity of programmes and the effectiveness of collaboration with UNICEF which helps the youth to formulate appropriate messages for the programmes. The programmes cover topics that include areas under UNICEF's mandate such as Health, Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Water and Environmental Sanitation, Education, Youth Development and Participation and Child Protection.
Sports facilities: Three basketball playgrounds whose construction started in December in Puntland in 2003 have been completed.
HIV/AIDS programme update
Survey: UNICEF is undertaking a HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices Survey in all zones of Somalia (in collaboration with Concern in Mogadishu). In February, data collection was completed, with the last five regions being covered in collaboration with the Somaliland administration. Data analysis and reporting will take place over the next two months.
Magazine: UNICEF in collaboration with Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Organization Committee (HAVOYOCO) and other youth groups produced a special issue of KOOR magazine. The issue of the magazine focussed on life-skills. Some 4000 thousand copies of the magazine were printed and distributed in Northwest, Northeast and Central and Southern Somalia. KOOR is normally produced quarterly by HAVAYOCO which is based in Hargeisa, Somaliland, with UNICEF support. The magazine written in Somali aims to provide youth with information and skills which they can use in the fight against HIV/AIDS. KOOR, in the Somali context, is a bell made of wood and put on specific camels (sometimes the most admired ones such as herd-leaders) in order for them to be located while dispersed in the bush for grazing or, in case they get lost. Not far from its original meaning, now, KOOR is calling on Somali youth to rally against HIV/AIDS and build/lead them to a better future.
Awareness initiatives: UNICEF in collaboration with the Somaliland administration trained a total of 100 youth in HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and control. In Puntland, UNICEF in collaboration with the local administration and other organizations held a round-table meeting to plan on fund-raising by local communities to support HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and control. UNICEF staff also participated in a HIV/AIDS awareness workshop in Galkayo, organised by Puntland Union for Prevention of AIDS (PUPA) and supported by WFP.
Child Protection programme update
Peace-building training: UNICEF organized training of 25 representatives from local organizations in Somalia on the issue of "Peace Building and Conflict Transformation: Methods and Tools for Youth and Civil Society Empowerment". The training took place in Jowhar Central Somalia between 19 and 23 February. The international NGO Transcend, which is a peace and development network of more than 300 practitioners in the field of conflict transformation, facilitated the training. The training also provided an opportunity to launch an innovative project in the field of youth participation and peace-building. The project is a joint initiative between UNICEF and the Mogadishu-based NGO Centre for Research and Dialogue (CRD). The project aims to empower young people to be more active and positive participants in community-based peace-building initiatives, by providing them with skills and training.
Child protection network: A meeting was held to discuss the establishment of the Bari region child protection network. Some 23 participants from local NGOs, women, youth and human rights groups, educationists, local government and law enforcement staff participated. UNICEF staff participated in a workshop on human rights in Garowe. Issues discussed included juvenile justice, international conventions on child rights, and findings of the Child Protection Study undertaken in 2003. Another networking and co-ordination meeting on child protection was held in Central Somalia from 15 to 16 February with 16 participants from local organisations. UNICEF also distributed findings of the Child Protection Study to 20 religious leaders who attended a HIV/AIDS counselling workshop in Jowhar.
FGM Campaign: UNICEF supported the Stop Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) campaign in Garowe and Bossaso. The campaign involved meetings with youth to discuss issues on FGM.
Child soldiers rehabilitation: UNICEF initiated expansion of the Elman Child Soldiers Rehabilitation and Reintegration project to Merka. The Merka project targets 60 former child soldiers.
Community mobilization: Some 10 Child Protection Advocates trained by UNICEF visited 20 communities and youth groups in Central and Southern Somalia to draw attention to child protection issues.
If you have questions about the UNICEF Somalia Monthly Review please contact:
Robert Kihara, Assistant Communication
Officer E-mail: rkihara@unicef.org
OR
Julia Spry-Leverton, Communication Officer Email: jspryleverton@unicef.org
Tel: 254-2-623958/ 623950/ 623862/ 623959/ 350410 Fax: 254-2-520640/ 623965