Remarks on the Humanitarian Situation in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa

USUN PRESS RELEASE #122(07)

(As Delivered)

We would like to thank Under-Secretary Holmes for his informative and timely briefing on the current humanitarian situation in Somalia and Uganda. His first-hand perspective provides the Security Council with valuable insight into these pressing crises.

The United States expresses grave concern over the recent violence in Mogadishu and the resulting loss of life in Somalia.

But even before the recent outbreak of violence, hundreds of thousands of Somalis faced a chronic humanitarian crisis. Displacement and suffering caused by drought and floods in 2006 have now been dangerously exacerbated by additional conflict.

Despite ongoing challenges to aid operations in Somalia, we understand that international relief efforts are reaching more than 250,000 of those recently displaced from Mogadishu. We applaud the work of UN agencies and NGOs delivering this life-saving assistance. We also salute the work of the UN Country Team for Somalia and the leadership of Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for their courageous and dauntless work.

The United States has provided significant resources to the current relief effort and we remain committed to supporting humanitarian assistance in Somalia. We also will continue to provide assistance for Somali refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia.

We are very concerned that the work of the UN and humanitarian NGOs in Somalia remains hampered by insecurity, roadblocks and inter-clan conflict, as we heard from Mr.Holmes. We reiterate our call on all parties to facilitate humanitarian access for the delivery of life-saving aid to those in need. We commend recent commitments by the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to lift administrative impediments for international aid agencies, and stress that recently announced visa and flight clearance requirements should not inhibit aid efforts. We expect the TFG to facilitate the critical work of the UN and humanitarian NGOs for the welfare of the people of Somalia.

We join others in condemning the recent attack in Mogadishu on the forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia and express our sympathies to the families of the victims. We are gravely concerned about the recent pattern of attacks by extremist elements in Somalia, including the increased use of explosive devices. We call on all Somalis and regional stakeholders to prevent extremist elements intent on undermining the political process from conducting further attacks.

We have seen reports that the TFG will allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) to investigate allegations of human rights abuses during the recent conflict. We welcome this news. Allegations of human rights abuses are very troubling and we will follow the UNHCHR investigation closely.

Ultimately the humanitarian situation in Somalia can only be addressed with the stability of a permanent ceasefire agreement and a viable, comprehensive reconciliation process. We therefore continue to urge all parties to re-engage in a sincere process of political dialogue as the best means of reaching a sustainable solution to the crisis in Somalia. We also reiterate our support for the robust contingency planning proposed by the Secretary General to prepare for the possible transition to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

We appreciate Under-Secretary Holmes' first-hand impressions of the humanitarian situation in northern Uganda and we share his cautious optimism about the current negotiations. Improved security and progress toward a settlement have encouraged an estimated 350,000 people to return to their home areas. However, there remain more than a million people displaced in northern Uganda and we stress the need for all returns to be safe and voluntary.

We commend recent efforts by UN Special Envoy Chissano to bring the parties back to the negotiating table in Juba. We support the Government of Southern Sudan efforts to facilitate the negotiations and we are watching closely how the resumed process unfolds. We stand prepared to offer assistance with demobilization, disarmament and reintegration should a final agreement be reached.

In the interim, we continue to provide significant assistance to meet humanitarian needs in northern Uganda, including nearly $85 million in 2006.

Finally, we note that meeting the continuing emergency needs of displaced populations and supporting longer-term recovery for returnees require strong leadership and coordination. We urge the UN, with OCHA's leadership, to ensure that humanitarian coordination needs in Uganda are addressed effectively.