The UN points to a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Somalia due to the increase in attacks by Al Shabaab

November 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has warned on Monday of the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Somalia due to the increase in the number of civilian victims due to the latest attacks carried out by the terrorist group Al Shabaab.

“This year has brought an abrupt stop to the general decline in the number of deaths and injuries documented since 2017,” he said, before expressing his “deep concern that more Somalis continue to lose their lives on a daily basis.”

UN data shows that at least 613 civilians have been killed and 948 injured so far this year, the highest number since 2017 and 30 percent more than in 2021. Most of the casualties — 315 dead and 686 injured–have been due to bomb attacks, 94 percent of which have been attributed to Al Shabaab.

Part of the rest of the victims have been caused by suicide attacks by Al Shabaab, including the one carried out on October 29 near the headquarters of the Ministry of Education in the capital, Mogadishu, which left more than 120 dead and 330 injured, according to data from the Somali authorities.

“All parties to the conflict must fulfill their obligations under Humanitarian Law and ensure that civilians are protected. This includes armed elements participating on the government side in the conflict against Al Shabaa, as well as international forces,” he stressed. Turkish.

Likewise, it has called on the Somali government “to take all the necessary steps, in cooperation with the international community, to strengthen the protection of civilians, in line with international Human Rights and Humanitarian Law standards.”

Turk’s office has stressed that, in addition to attacks on civilians, Al Shabaab has destroyed and poisoned wells in the Hiiraan region, at a time when the country is experiencing a severe drought that has deepened an already critical humanitarian crisis. .

“This gratuitous destruction is reprehensible, particularly given the difficult humanitarian situation due to the failure of five consecutive rainy seasons and large-scale displacement in the country,” Turk noted, recalling that this type of action “constitutes war crimes “. “They must stop,” he pointed out.

Lastly, Turk has highlighted the importance of accountability for serious violations of Humanitarian Law and has argued that these actions are crucial to avoid fueling new cycles of violence in the African country.

Somalia has increased offensives against Al Shabaab in recent months and has even banned the name of the group to refer to the organization, which maintains ties to Al Qaeda. Thus, he has demanded that he be mentioned as ‘jauarij’, a word that means “deviant sect”.

The offensives against Al Shabaab, which have the support of clans and local militias, are part of a series of decisions taken by the new president, Hasan Sheikh Mohamud, who promised upon taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the center of his efforts to stabilize the African country.