Old Yeller. And, Of Course, Humanitarian Happenings

by Michael Bear

category: Humanitarian Relief

Published July 24, 2009 @ 07:13AM PT

[Anyone who doesn't cry at the ending of Old Yeller has no soul]

My car died last night.  Or, at least, the starter seems to have died.  I love my car - a 1983 diesel Mercedes.  I call her Molly.  That said, this is the second semi-major repair in the last month.

Am dreading the thought of an Old Yeller moment.

And, in humanitarian happenings - Somalia (bad), Congo (bad), and Pakistan (less bad than before):

Somalia

The fighting in Mogadishu has forced humanitarian-run feeding centers across the city to close.  According to the most recent UN OCHA Somalia Humanitarian Access Update, 16 feeding centers have been closed since June 20th, leaving as many as 80,000 people without access to food.

An article in IRIN described the impact:

"Fartun Mohiyadin Ahmed, who is taking care of 20 family members, told IRIN they had all depended on the feeding centre in Wadajir.

'I don't know what the future holds for us now that the centre is closed; I am especially worried because my children are sickly; they are coughing and have measles. I am losing hope,' Ahmed said."

The situation is little better for people fleeing the city, as aid agencies struggle to provide enough assistance to the displaced, many of whom are flooding already over-crowded camps strung out along the Afgoye Road. 

As one Somali living in the camps explained:

"We are receiving more IDPs in the camps [along the road linking Mogadishu to Afgoye] that are already crowded; those arriving are not getting any help, only the older IDPs receive relief aid."

To get a sense of just how limited humanitarian access has become in Somalia, please see this map - the vast majority of southern and central Somalia is almost (almost) impossible to reach.

Congo

Renewed fighting in South Kivu province has forced tens of thousands to flee in the last two weeks.  According to UNHCR:

"Our initial estimates show that at least 35,000 people have been displaced in the Ruzizi River plain where the DRC borders neighbouring Rwanda and Burundi. These people have reportedly fled in the wake of the latest government military campaign code-named Kimia II, which began on 12 July in the Uvira territory of South Kivu."

UNHCR estimates that a total of 1.8 million people are currently displaced in the eastern DRC.

Pakistan

Finally, a little good news, such as it is - over 400,000 people who fled the fighting in northwestern Pakistan earlier this year have recently returned home.  Granted, that still leaves as many as 1.5 million displaced, but we'll take what we can get.