Emergency Food Assistance in Somalia - ICRC 2009

With the Ethiopian military removal of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) government in December 2006 open conflict erupted between the Ethiopian-supported Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and remnants of the Islamic Courts regime. For two years the ongoing conflict has caused a severe degradation of the humanitarian situation across Somalia. Over 600 000 people have been forced to flee the fighting in and around Mogadishu including at least 90 000 since August 2008. Overall an estimated 1.3 million Somalis have been displaced from their homes and between 3.2 and 3.5 million are in dire need of food clean water and sanitation services health care shelter and protection. CIDA's contribution is supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide emergency relief to internally displaced persons and others affected by the conflict in Somalia. Through this food assistance operation ICRC is helping to supply emergency rations to up to 60 000 beneficiaries.