Washington, D.C. -A new government in Somalia has so far meant little to the more than three million Somalis in need of emergency assistance inside the country, Refugees International (RI) said in its latest field report today. The humanitarian situation inside Somalia remains severe and refugees continue to flee to neighboring countries in great numbers. In Dadaab, Kenya, over 240,000 Somalis reside in the largest refugee camp in the world. A large influx of refugees in recent months has stretched resources and infrastructure beyond capacity. The new government in Somalia offers the best opportunity in almost 20 years for a national government to attain the legitimacy needed to bring together voices from Somalia's broad political spectrum. To take advantage of this opportunity, RI urged the Obama administration to prioritize diplomacy and humanitarian assistance over a narrow security agenda.

"Somalia is the site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Yet, the Obama administration has an opportunity to put forward a new Somalia policy that uses all of our foreign policy tools. We should not short-change diplomatic and humanitarian needs for counter-terrorism objectives," said RI Vice President for Policy Joel Charny. "President Obama needs to acknowledge the scale of the crisis inside Somalia and communicate to the Somali government and its people that the U.S. will support a more inclusive and peaceful Somalia."

Refugees International also expressed concern at recent calls to establish a "green zone," or protected area, in Mogadishu where internationals would live and work, as a way of demonstrating concrete support for the Somali government. The expense and heightened international security needed would be a hindrance and based on the experience in Iraq, would barely lessen the distance between international civil servants and the Somali people. In addition, the international community should bolster the African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) and abandon the idea of deploying a UN peacekeeping operation. A large, multidimensional UN peacekeeping operation would be a polarizing and destabilizing symbol of foreign meddling on Somali soil.

"The current political progress in Somalia has yet to translate into safety for civilians, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance remains difficult. The addition of a green zone or the deployment of a multidimensional UN peacekeeping mission would not improve conditions for displaced civilians," added Mr. Charny. "By supporting the current African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia and supporting humanitarian funding, more can be done for Somalia's people."

Refugees International is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises. In March, Vice President for Policy Joel Charny, Peacekeeping Advocate Erin A. Weir and Advocate Patrick Duplat traveled to Kenya and Somalia to assess the situation for Somalia's displaced. For more information, go to http:// www.refugeesinternational.org.

Contact: 
Vanessa Parra; +1-202-540-7025
Vanessa@refugeesinternational.org