Recent violent clashes between two rival militia groups in central Somalia has had a " devastating effect" on the civilian population which has led to over 150 people killed as well as the displacement of 7,000 people, a UN spokesman said here Tuesday.
"Most of the displaced persons are reported to be living under trees and many children have become ill as a result of the cold nights," Martin
Nesirky told a regular press briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York.
In a statement released Tuesday, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said over 150 people were killed or injured and some 7,000 people displaced in the latest clashes between two rival militia groups, Al Shabaab and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jaama, in Dhusamareb in the Galgaduud region of Central Somalia which took place on Jan. 2.
Local nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners have said that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have fled to some 16 villages around
Dhusamareb, the UN agency said.
With rising security threats in Somalia, aid agencies have expressed concern over the situation, which could deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Just last week, the World Food Program (WFP) was forced to temporarily suspend much of its humanitarian operations in southern Somalia, which
stands to impact 1 million people in southern Somalia of those not able to receive the much needed assistance.
UNHCR is currently in discussions with its local NGO partners in Somalia to figure out ways to deliver assistance to the displaced persons in
the most efficient and quickest manner, Nesirky told reporters.