The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has begun working in Somalia in the wake of a dramatic deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the country. Somalia has had no effective government since 1991. In December 2006, a transitional government backed by Ethiopian troops threw out Islamists who had taken control of Mogadishu. Since then, Islamist insurgents have continued to fight the government for control of the country. The fighting has displaced more than 1 million people.

This surge in violence, coupled with skyrocketing food prices, drought and crippling inflation, has left more than 2 million people - 35 percent of the population - in urgent need of food and assistance.

In 2007, the IRC conducted an assessment of the needs of people living in drought-affected south Mudug - an area where tens of thousands of displaced people have fled from the capital Mogadishu and elsewhere. Communities in the region lack clean drinking water and good sanitation and suffer from frequent health problems.
 
As a result of the assessment, the IRC opened a field office in Gaalkacyo, a town which is host to more than 6,000 displaced people. The IRC is providing emergency environmental health assistance to both the displaced people and to the Gaalkacyo community. Among other activities the IRC is rehabilitating hand-dug wells that will provide clean drinking water to more than 2,400 families or 14,400 people. We are also providing latrines and training community volunteers in good hygiene practices.

Programs in Somalia

Spotlight:
In Somalia, They Die of Thirst (Photo Essay)

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