UNHCR Secures 6.6 mln USD to Support Forcibly Displaced in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Xinhua: The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Monday it has received 6.6 million U.S. dollars in funding to meet the needs of forcibly displaced populations, including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as their host communities in Somalia.

The UNHCR said the funding will be critical in enabling the UNHCR and humanitarian partners to deliver much-needed assistance and protection to the most vulnerable at a time when millions of people are still reeling from the impacts of the worst drought in decades and the ongoing conflict.

Charles Mballa, UNHCR’s representative in Somalia, said the funds also help in meeting people’s immediate needs such as durable shelter for flood-affected families.

“This funding will support initiatives that enhance self-reliance, a huge step in enhancing solutions for people forced to flee in the country,” Mballa said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The UNHCR said the funds will also contribute to strengthening community-based protection measures for women, children, and persons with disabilities or other specific needs while promoting gender equality and empowerment initiatives.

Somalia currently hosts more than 38,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Ethiopia, Yemen, and Syria, according to the UNHCR.

Nearly 4 million people are internally displaced in Somalia, one of the world’s largest IDP populations and the third highest in the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region, it said.