MOGADISHU, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A high-level delegation from the African Union wrapped up its five-day assessment mission in Somalia on Tuesday with a commitment to scale up interventions in the current humanitarian situation in the country.
The AU Permanent Representative Sub-Committee (AUPRC) on Refugees, Returnees, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) called for more action to mitigate the humanitarian situation in Somalia which is wracked by conflict, recurrent climatic shocks, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The AU mission led by Adekunle J.M. King in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia expressed the African Union's solidarity with the ongoing efforts to restore peace and stability in Somalia.
"Somalia needs all the support from the African Union, the international community, and the regional bloc in the Horn of Africa because transforming a post-conflict country is not an easy task. War destroys the entire fabric of any country," King said.
The visit was part of an African Union assessment mission in response to the effects of the long drought, which has left over 1.5 million people in Southwest State's Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle regions facing extreme food insecurity and lost livelihoods.
The AU delegation visited an IDP camp in Baidoa, one of the most affected regions in the Southwest state, where an estimated 330,000 people have been displaced by the effects of drought and conflict.
The region has the highest number of IDPs confronting acute humanitarian situations with few interventions.
"There is still a need for humanitarian support. We observed the challenges the IDPs are facing ranging from poor shelter, lack of water, unemployment, and missing children who take the risky journey along the Indian Ocean in search of survival. It is a difficult situation," King said.
King whose delegation met AU and UN missions' officials in Somalia will sensitize AU member states and the international community on its findings with a view to enlisting their assistance and effective contribution toward the humanitarian situation in Somalia.
The sub-committee is mandated to follow up, analyze and evaluate the situations of refugees, displaced persons, and returnees and provide policy recommendations and solutions to the Executive Council for action. ■