By Kylie M Tsudama
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
MOGADISHU, Somalia – According to the top US military official, al Shabaab rebel group’s disruptions of the UN World Food Program’s (WFP) operations could worsen Somalia’s humanitarian crisis.

“(The situation) is a great concern because over an extended period of time, the potential for a humanitarian crisis is pretty significant,” said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He also called the al Shabaab a “growing terrorist organization.”

Al Shabaab militants threatened the WFP, causing it to suspend operations in much of southern Somalia.  According to WFP Spokeswoman Emilia Casella, the rebels demanded that the agency remove all women and pay protection money to guarantee the safety of its staff.  Nevertheless, the agency has said that the lines of communication are open and that it has no intention of leaving Somalia.

“We have not closed any doors.  We have not closed any lines of communication,” said Casella.  “What we are hoping is that a resolution can be found so that we can have assurances that humanitarian principles will be respected and that the safety of our staff willbe respected and guaranteed so that we can return to working in the southern part of Somalia as we are continuing to work in the rest of Somalia.”

Nearly three quarters of the country’s 3.76 million who are in need of aid are concentrated in central and southern Somalia.  The WFP has emphasized that the suspension is only temporary and that aid to the rest of the country is still in operation.

“We do anticipate that it is possible there will be movement or could be movement to other parts of Somalia by some people who have been affected or towards the borders,” said Casella.  “And, so for that reason, the staff and the supplies and equipment that were in our six offices in the southern part of Somalia have already been moved from that area to areas of Somalia where we are continuing to work.”

WFP is anticipating demand increasing in certain areas and is working with its partner organizations to pre-position supplies in those areas.

Despite WFP’s suspension of operations, several UN agencies remain in operation in southern Somalia, although they are facing difficulty, said Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Byrs did say that there has been a steady decline of humanitarian staff following incidents of looting, extortion, assaults, and kidnappings of aid workers.

“Discussions are also under way to determine whether and how other programs, such as nutrition, could be adjusted to mitigate any potential negative effects in the area under suspension,” she said.

Over the past year, the number of people in need of aid has risen over half a million bringing the total number of people in need to well over half of the population.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – UN Food Aid Trouble in Somalia ‘a Great Concern’: US – 09 January 2010

UN News Centre – UN Aid Agencies Will Not Abandon Somalia Despite Insecurity, says Official – 08 January 2010

VOA – WFP Sees No Quick Solution to Somalia Crisis – 08 January 2010