February 16, 2011

After completing a mission in Chad, the Humanitarian Response Index 2011 continued in a joint mission to collect information on the Somalia and Kenya crises. The mission ran from 21st to 26th February. DARA interviewed key humanitarian actors on the ground regarding donor government response.

Displaced Somalis set up a make-shift encampment in the small impoverished town of Afgooye, 30 kilometers west of the capital ©UNHCR / S. Abdulle

Somalia

This is the third consecutive year that DARA selects Somalia for the HRI. Violence in south and central Somalia, and the resulting humanitarian crisis, continues with no predictable end. According to UNHCR, fighting and terrorist attacks this year have led to more than 200,000 IDPs, while 70,000 have fled to neighbouring countries such as Kenya.  Rising insecurity, compounded by new insurgent groups which threaten and intimidate aid workers, has significantly compromised humanitarian space. Delivery of aid in Somalia remains the key challenge, especially with a growing number of IDPs and refugees. However, it is not only limited access that compromises humanitarian assistance reaching thousands in need.

The HRI 2010 found aid in the country to be highly politicized, a growing trend in many crises worldwide. In Somalia, US anti-terrorism legislation meant unreasonable restrictions on aid agencies working in areas (most of central and south Somalia) controlled by Al-Shahaab, a group linked to Al-Qa’ida. This made it extremely difficult for aid agencies to carry out humanitarian operations and deliver assistance. Humanitarians interviewed last year criticized donors for not robustly advocating for humanitarian access and Good Humanitarian Donorship Principles. Read the full HRI 2010 Somalia Crisis Report.

Kenya

Kenya is faced with a complex and challenging humanitarian crisis. Humanitarian needs and IDPs are on the rise due to multiple factors which include food insecurity, resource-based conflicts, drought and disasters, such as floods and mudslides- their consequences having been exacerbated by rapid urbanization, endemic diseases and malnutrition.

The majority of the 450,000 IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya are from Somalia, according to UNHCR. The refugee influx shows no sign of abating and meeting their growing needs effectively is a challenge for the donor community, especially in such a resource-scarce environment. Additionally, thousands of IDPs from the extensive violence that followed the 2007 Presidential election have yet to return to their homes.

This year, 12 HRI field missions have been planned. View the calendar. More on field missions.