Somalia Monthly Humanitarian Update, November 2024

This report is produced by OCHA Somalia in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It provides information on the humanitarian situation across Somalia in November 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Humanitarians are taking advantage of a truce in Luuq District, Jubaland State, to step up assistance to displaced people. Over 30,000 people have been displaced by clan violence in the district since July.
  • The use of cash-based transfers to support emergency response and specific sectoral outcomes has increased in Somalia. From January to September 2024, total cash and voucher assistance reached US$234.8 million.
  • Ten districts are to be prioritized in the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for integrated inter-cluster response: Daynille, Kahda, Afmadow, Diinsoor, Jowhar, Baydhaba, Jamaame, Belet Weyne, Bu’aale, Qansax Dheere.
  • An assessment in Hawadley village, Balcad District in Hirshabelle State, has revealed critical humanitarian needs in several key sectors, high malnutrition and lack of functional health facilities.
  • Riverine floods have affected about 40,000 people 30 villages in Belet Weyne District, displacing over 13,000 people in 13 districts and inundating thousands of hectares of farmland.

KEY FIGURES

5.98M People projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2025.

4.6M Number of people to be targeted for assistance in 2025.

US$234.8M Cash and voucher assistance disbursed from January to September 2024.

44% Percentage funding received for the 2024 response plan.

14.3K Number of people displaced by riverine floods in Belet Weyne.

Partners ramp up assistance as temporary truce holds in Luuq, Jubaland State

Humanitarian partners have ramped up much-needed assistance to displaced people in Luuq District, Jubaland State, as a temporary truce holds. Since July, clan violence has displaced at least 30,000 people, killed 15, disrupted schools, severely restricted humanitarian access and exacerbated secondary displacement especially in Luuq town, Yurkud and Ceel Boon areas. As the violence escalated in October, the Area Based Coordination (ABC) team recommended the activation of an integrated first line response framework targeting 4,000 families. A total of 28 displacement sites were identified, with 16 experiencing repeated displacements. However, access to affected areas remained extremely difficult due to the presence of non-state actors, ongoing security concerns, and logistical obstacles.

A 20-day truce negotiated by traditional leaders took effect on 15 November. A breakthrough was achieved when local elders and actors collaborated to ensure the safe passage of 50 cartons of essential medical and emergency supplies provided by one partner to Yurkud. This intervention helped to address urgent health needs in a community that had not received medical assistance since 4 October, and was grappling with a severe public health crisis, acute shortage of medical resources and cases of Acute Watery Diarrhea especially among children. The same partner is supporting health facilities in Luuq.

Since October, the ABC team has been actively advocating for a scale up in humanitarian response to growing needs in the district, but partners have been limited by significant access constraints. With the weapons temporarily silenced, partners have quickly moved in to deliver assistance to affected people. International partners have registered more than 1,740 displaced families (about 10,440 people) for multipurpose cash assistance to enable the families to access essential food, shelter and other critical supplies. On 26 November, another international partner completed the registration of 500 families displaced from Luuq to Wajid in South West State and will provide US$140 monthly to each family for three months.

In six displacement sites, more than 1,660 families (nearly 10,000 people) have been reached through water trucking while hygiene kits have been distributed to 1,500 families (about 9,000 people) in 13 sites, helping improve sanitation and hygiene practices. Meanwhile, Jubaland State authorities and partners are rehabilitating community water points, addressing immediate needs and enhancing long-term access to water. Two international partners are constructing 25 latrines in displacement sites. To meet shelter needs, a national NGO and international partner have distributed plastic sheets to 600 families in Yurkud. Ongoing CCCM activities are focusing on enhancing the coordination and management of services within IDP sites. The Nutrition, Protection, Shelter and Logistics Clusters have been engaged to address the existing gaps promptly, and preparations are underway to scale up their response efforts.