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Somalia
Casualties and Victim Assistance
Casualties Overview
|
All known casualties by end 2010 |
2,639 mine/ERW casualties (903 killed; 1,619 injured; 117 unknown) |
|
Casualties in 2010 |
159 (2009: 126) |
|
2010 casualties by outcome |
28 killed; 131 injured (2009: 43 killed; 83 injured) |
|
2010 casualties by device type |
159 mines/ERW |
At least 159 mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were recorded in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) in 2010. The vast majority of casualties where the age was known were children (105 total: 19 killed; 86 injured); two were adults and the age of 50 casualties was not recorded. Most casualties were recorded in south central Somalia. Over a third of mine/ERW casualties reported in south central Somalia occurred in Mogadishu. The Puntland Mine Action Center (PMAC) also recorded 71 mine/ERW casualties for 2010, including 30 IED casualties. It was not clear if all of the casualties in Puntland were due to victim-activated explosive items or if some or all were included in other totals for Somalia.[1] In 2009, 126 mine/ERW casualties were reported in Somalia (excluding Somaliland).[2]
The annual total is thought to represent only a fraction of likely casualties. According to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the absence of a comprehensive national casualty monitoring mechanism remained one of the biggest challenges to reducing death and injury because the lack of baseline data made the monitoring of trends impossible.[3]
The Monitor identified 2,639 mine/ERW casualties (903 killed; 1,619 injured; 117 unknown) in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) between 1999 and the end of 2010.[4]
Victim Assistance
The total number of survivors is unknown. The Monitor identified at least 1,619 by the end of 2010.
Assessing victim assistance needs
No survivor needs assessment was reported, however, casualty monitoring improved in 2009 and 2010.[5] Increased monitoring of mine/ERW accidents resulted in significant improvements in prioritization and targeting of mine action.[6]
Victim assistance coordination
There were no specific victim assistance coordination or activities in Somalia.
Victim assistance activities in 2010
Intensified conflict in 2010 continued to deplete minimal emergency medical resources at hospitals. The ICRC continued to provide medical supplies, equipment, funds, staff training, and supervision, along with infrastructure maintenance, to two hospitals in Mogadishu managed by the Somali Red Crescent where most weapon-wounded casualties were treated. Resources were often stretched to cope with influxes of patients, and the triage building at Keysaney hospital required repairs after being hit during shelling. ICRC also continued supporting an independently run ambulance service in Mogadishu.[7]
The Norwegian Red Cross Society continued to provide full material support to the operations of the Somalia Red Crescent Society (SRCS) in Galkayo, Puntland, which received additional technical support provided by the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD). During 2010, the center was not visited by the SFD due to a lack of staff at the Addis Ababa regional center. The provision of prosthetic/orthotic services to beneficiaries at the Galkayo center remained similar to 2009. The provision of prosthetic/orthotic services to beneficiaries at the SRCS rehabilitation center in Mogadishu increased by 10% in 2010 compared to 2009.[8] The ICRC also sponsored prosthetic/orthotic staff to train abroad.[9]
There is almost no psychosocial support in Somalia compared to the significant need for such services due to the impact of the ongoing conflict.[10]
Both the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) and the Puntland Charter prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities. The TFC gives the state responsibility for the health and welfare of persons with disabilities and the Puntland Charter protects the rights of persons with disabilities. However, the needs of most persons with disabilities were not addressed and discrimination was reported. There are no laws requiring access to buildings for persons with disabilities.[11]
As of September 2011, Somalia had not signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
[1] UNMAS reported details for the 159 casualties and also stated that there were “162 known victims” in 2010. UNMAS, “Annual Report 2010,” New York, September 2011, pp. 55–56; and PMAC, “Annual Report 2010,” 7 June 2011, p. 10. The UN also reported that, in total, 190 mine/ERW casualties were recorded in Somaliland, Puntland and south central Somalia in 2010 (154 casualties excluding casualties in Somaliland, as reported in the Landmine Monitor Report 2011). UN, “Somalia,” www.mineaction.org.
[2] Emails from Tammy Orr, Programme Officer, Mine Action Somalia, UNMAS, 17 May 2010 and 23 July 2010.
[3] UNMAS, “Annual Report 2010,” New York, September 2011, pp. 55–56.
[4] See previous Monitor reports on Somalia, www.the-monitor.org.
[5] Email from Tammy Orr, UNMAS, 17 May 2010.
[6] UNMAS, “Annual Report 2010,” September 2011, pp. 55–56.
[7] ICRC, “Annual Report 2010,” Geneva, May 2011, p. 174; and ICRC, “Somalia: shelling of Mogadishu’s Keysaney Hospital continues despite ICRC pleas,” 1 July 2010, www.icrc.org.
[8] ICRC SFD, “Annual Report 2010,” Geneva, June 2011, p. 26.
[9] ICRC, “Annual Report 2010,” Geneva, May 2011, p. 174.
[10] Joe DeCapua, “Somalia Conflict takes Toll on Civilian Mental Health,” Voice of America, 4 February 2011, www.voanews.com.
[11] US Department of State, “2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Somalia,” Washington, DC, 8 April 2011.
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