ARTICLE: Political, security and humanitarian matters in focus on

international partners’ visit to South West State

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DATELINE: 13 SEPTEMBER 2022, BAIDOA, SOMALIA

POLITICAL, SECURITY AND HUMANITARIAN MATTERS IN FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL

PARTNERS’ VISIT TO SOUTH WEST STATE

Baidoa 13 Sep 2022 – A high-level group representing some of Somalia’s main international
partners today met with South West State’s leadership to discuss a range of topics related to
political, humanitarian and security developments in both the Federal Member State and
Somalia as a whole, as well as how they can best provide support.

“On the political front, we welcomed the South West State Administration’s continued efforts
to strengthen local governance, and we are encouraged by the just-concluded formation of a
District Council in Huddur. We hope that this sets an example for other such district council
endeavours,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, said
in media remarks at the Presidential Palace in Baidoa, the largest city in South West State.

“We stressed the importance of ensuring that people are accorded the space to express
themselves freely, including freedom of assembly, organisation, and media, as the people of
South West State debate key issues on the public agenda,” Mr. Swan added.

Referring to the national arena, the UN official noted that solid and productive working
relations between Somalia’s Federal Government and the authorities in the country’s Federal
Member States are crucial to the long-term stability and well-being of all Somalis.
“In this respect,” he said, “we renewed our call for a collaborative relationship between South
West State and the Federal Government, and welcome the President’s attendance at the
recently-concluded meeting of the National Consultative Council in Mogadishu.”

Mr. Swan was speaking at a joint press encounter with the South West State leader, President
Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed ‘Laftagareen,’ following a group meeting with him and members of
his cabinet and advisors.

The UN official was accompanied by the Acting Special Representative of the Chairperson of the
African Union Commission and Head of the African Union Transition Mission to Somalia
(ATMIS), Fiona Lortan; Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Somalia, Abdulfatah Hassan; Sweden’s
Ambassador to Somalia, Per Lindgarde; the US Ambassador to Somalia, Larry Andre; the
European Union Delegation to Somalia’s Team Leader, Jens Hoegel; Germany’s Deputy
Ambassador to Somalia, Sascha Kienzle; and, from the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD), the Head of Mission in Somalia, Abdi Ibrahim.

Humanitarian affairs

In his remarks, the UN Special Representative noted that the humanitarian situation in many
parts of Somalia had grown increasingly dire due to the worsening drought, and that South
West State was no exception to this.

According to a recent report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA), recurrent droughts, and insecurity – mainly due to the presence of the Al-Shabaab
terrorist group – have negatively impacted the economic stability and livelihoods of people in
South West State, leading to a chronic humanitarian situation and large-scale population
displacements.

At least 1.4 million out of the estimated 2.9 million people living in the Federal Member State
are reportedly affected by the drought, including 454,600 people in the Baidoa district. In
addition, South West State has one of the biggest caseloads of internal displacement, food
insecurity and malnutrition in Somalia.

Recent food security projections indicate that of the more than 213,000 people reportedly
facing catastrophic food security levels in Somalia, about 112,000 are reportedly in South West
State.

“Somalia’s international partners are seriously concerned about the difficult humanitarian
situation affecting South West State’s residents and those who have arrived from elsewhere
due to displacement caused by the drought,” Mr. Swan said. “We are wholeheartedly
committed to continuing to support South West State as it faces this immense challenge.”

Throughout Somalia, a total of 5.3 million people were reached with drought response and
famine prevention scale-up efforts between January and July 2022, representing 69 per cent of
the 7.61 million people targeted. The UN is also calling for a scaling-up of assistance required to
address worsening humanitarian conditions and rising needs.

Somalia’s Humanitarian Response Plan for 2022 seeks close to $1.5 billion and has currently
reached around 68 per cent of that target.

Security affairs

In regard to security matters, the UN Special Representative said they remain a key priority in
South West State, and that the international partners had commended the president for his
continued commitment to degrade Al-Shabaab in all three of the Federal Member State’s
regions.

“We also re-affirmed our commitment to continue working closely with South West State’s
security establishment in taking on the challenge. In that vein, we urge even closer cooperation
among international and local security actors,” Mr. Swan said.

Following the meeting with the president, the visiting delegation met with the local contingent
of African Union peacekeepers serving with ATMIS, and with representatives from civil society
organisations.

With the latter, they heard about their concerns and how the international community can best
assist them in their work as they support local development, human rights, and the needs of
women, youth and other historically marginalized groups.