Rates of global acute malnutrition were up to 30 percent in certain areas and the ICRC said it was supporting the Somali Red Crescent, which has opened three outpatient therapeutic programme centres in Abu dwaq, Cadaado and Galinsor (Galgaduud region) to treat severely malnourished children without medical complications.
'The children come to the clinics once a week to receive highly nutritional ready-to-eat food rations,' explained Hillary Floate, an ICRC nutritionist. 'We check their appetite and make sure there are no complications, and then they take the rest of their ration home. If the children are severely ill and cannot eat on their own, they are adm itted to a hospital in Galcayo.'
Until the next rainy season, expected to begin in March or April, drought will continue to plague the central regions of Somalia and the semi-arid areas along the border with Ethiopia and Kenya, ICRC said Wednesda y in a brief from Mogadishu.
The last good rains in those areas occurred more than three years ago. Pasture and water have become rare; while herds of livestock were concentrated on those spots where isolated rain showers have allowed a bit of grass to grow
Meanwhile, the ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent have renewed their call on warring parties to prevent displacement and to enhance protection for people who are forced to flee their homes due to continuous attac ks.
The two organisations said greater respect for international humanitarian law was the only means of protecting the civilian population in the Horn of Africa country.
'All warring parties must comply with the rules of international humanitarian law. In particular, they must distinguish between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and persons taking a direct part in hostilities and mil itary objectives on the other.
'Attacks may be directed only against persons taking a direct part in hostilities and against military objectives, and warring parties must take all necessary precautions to spare the civilian population and civilian objects, inc luding medical facilities,' they emphasised.
Alongside incessant armed attacks in the capital Mogadishu, fighting has also broken out in Somalia's central regions, leaving thousands of families displaced.
According to the ICRC, the end of 2009 was marked by armed clashes in almost all regions of Somalia, including Mogadishu, and by heavy fighting in the Lower Juba region, which led to new waves of displacement.
In January, fighting also broke out in Somalia's central regions, forcing thou sands of families to leave their homes in search of safety and shelter elsewhere. The situation added to the estimated hundreds of thousands of people already displaced within the country.
In assisting victims of the fighting, the ICRC said it had provided 75,000 displaced people (IDPs) in central and southern Somalia with essential household items and shelter materials.
Over 65,000 IDPs were given one-month food rations to help cover their needs and therefore also relieve host families.
Heavy clashes broke out in the Hiraan and Galgaduud regions as 2010 began. The intensity of the fighting, combining with the fear that it might grow even worse, forced thousands of families from their homes and many into makeshift camps.
Dar es Salaam - Pana 04/02/2010
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