UN: 150,000 Displaced and 40 Dead From Somali Clan Violence
“The violence is believed to have been triggered by a dispute over land ownership,”
Nearly 150,000 people have been forced from their homes since last January by clan violence in different parts of Somalia, while a total of 40 deaths have been recorded since June; reported the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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According to a report released on Tuesday by OCHA, the massive displacement caused by armed violence between clans includes, for example, 42,000 people who were forced to flee between 5 and 7 July in the city of Luuq, in the region of Gedo (south).
“The violence is believed to have been triggered by a dispute over land ownership,” the agency said, detailing that at least four civilians were killed in these incidents.
OCHA carried out a mission to the area on 27 July, confirming that one third of the displaced are in hard-to-reach areas and face difficulties in returning home.
“Among the new displaced, there are communities that were already displaced by the floods and are now experiencing secondary displacement,” the organization lamented.
In the region of Mudug (centre), inter-clan conflicts between 26 June and 2 July displaced more than 26,000 people, resulting in over 35 deaths.
Where an estimated 30% of displaced people are herders who managed to flee with their livestock, the fighting also disrupted basic services such as nutrition and health, while food prices have risen by 15-20%.
