IDP News Alert, 21 January 2010

Fighting between insurgent groups and the government and its allies are causing more misery for Somalia’s internally displaced population. UNHCR reports that conflict has led to the displacement of an estimated 63,000 civilians in southern Somalia in the first three weeks of January alone, with the displaced said to be in urgent need of shelter, water and medical care.

According to IRIN, thousands of IDPs have been displaced again as a result of fresh fighting in the central Somalia town of Beletweyne between the Ahlul Sunna Waljamaac group, which is allied to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and the insurgent Hisbul-Islam group which is waging war on it. The fighting has also limited people’s access to basic goods and services. IRIN cites UN figures that at least 1.5 million Somalis are displaced, and at least 3.6 million need food aid.

See also: IDMC Somalia country page

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Chad: Call for exit of UN peacekeepers threatens security of displaced communities

Aid organisations in Chad have expressed concern over the possible impact on security after the government said it wants the UN to withdraw its peacekeeping forces when their mandate ends on 15 March. They warn that continuing humanitarian work will be very difficult if the government is unable to ensure a secure environment after the withdrawal of international troops. Displaced communities and aid workers are already regularly subjected to robberies, kidnappings and carjackings by armed groups.

Meanwhile, the governments of Chad and Sudan have agreed to set up a joint force to monitor and secure their common border, to be deployed on 20 February. This decision is part of a renewed effort to normalise relations between the two countries which includes commitments to end the support of each other’s armed opposition groups.

Aid workers in eastern Chad told IRIN that their principal concern is the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers – whatever entity provides it. According to Oxfam International: “Our predominant concern is the safety and well being of refugees, IDPs and Chadian communities […] which includes access to humanitarian assistance.”

See also: IDMC Chad country page

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Nigeria : Renewed violence in Jos displaces thousands

At least 5,000 people have been displaced following renewed violence in Plateau State’s capital city of Jos. Clashes reportedly broke out on January 17 in the predominantly Christian Nassarawa Gwom district following a dispute over a Muslim resident’s reconstruction of his home, which had been burned down in earlier riots in November 2008. IDPs have sought shelter in police barracks, mosques and churches as well as with family and friends in the city. Others have fled to neighbouring Bauchi State. Some were sheltering at the site of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency; they were reportedly suffering from lack of food as aid was slow to arrive.

The international community has responded with deep concern to the news of this renewed bout of violence in Jos. The UN Secretary-General urged the Federal Government to find a permanent solution to the crisis, while Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for restraint by security forces in curbing violence. HRW documented some 130 cases of unlawful killings by members of the security forces in responding to the 2008 violence.

See also: IDMC Nigeria country page

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Sri Lanka: IDPs continue to face difficult situation before elections

In the run-up to the Sri Lankan presidential elections scheduled for 26 January, large numbers of IDPs from the north and the east are being returned to their districts of origin, where they face severe difficulties rebuilding their livelihoods. People’s original homes are still severely damaged, and many return areas have not yet been demined according to UN security standards, putting returnees at risk and preventing UN presence there. As a result, many people have not been able to return to their precise places of origin and so remain displaced, staying with host families or in transition camps. Voter registration for IDPs has been slow or non-existent, so many of them may not be able to vote.

For those IDPs who are still in camps in Vavuniya and other parts of the north, freedom of movement remains significantly limited. They need a pass to leave the camps and are allowed to do so only for a period of up to two weeks. Some are denied passes because of their alleged association with the LTTE. In addition, more than 11,000 IDPs suspected of LTTE membership are still in separate sites, where they were detained without due process.

See also: IDMC Sri Lanka country page

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Philippines: New tool to help track movement and needs of IDPs in Mindanao

Last week the International Office for Migration (IOM) in the Philippines handed over the Humanitarian Response Monitoring System (HRMS) to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the government’s lead agency on IDP protection and assistance. The HRMS, which was initially designed by IOM in response to natural disasters, was adapted during 2009 to fit Mindanao’s complex emergency setting and is designed to track population movements, identify humanitarian needs and map ongoing interventions.

The database should also enable the government to better profile the displaced population and coordinate assistance for them with other aid agencies. As of early January, only 20 per cent of the estimated 125,000 IDPs reported by the DSWD to be still living in evacuation centres in Maguindanao Province had been registered in the HRMS. In addition to those living in the camps, tens of thousands are staying with host communities, but their counting has reportedly been discontinued by the government.

See also: IDMC Philippines country page
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