Somalia

The archetypal failed state, Somalia has been immersed in an acute political and security crisis since 1991. The linked humanitarian crisis has increased in scale and severity since 2007, following a US-backed Ethiopian-led military invasion in support of the official transitional government of Somalia which ousted the radical Islamist Union of Islamic Courts, who had assumed control of Mogadishu in 2006. After Ethiopian troops withdrew in 2009, and despite the presence of an African Union peacekeeping force, the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group al-Shabab regained control of large parts of the country.

This major deterioration in security has precipitated a dramatic deterioration in the humanitarian situation and large-scale displacements. In 2011 drought and conflict manifested in a major food security crisis, which breached famine thresholds in six parts of southern Somalia. The UN estimates that four million people remain in crisis conditions into 2012.

Following a series of kidnappings of foreigners in Kenya attributed to al-Shabab, the Kenyan government launched attacks into Somalia in late 2011, leading to further displacement and restrictions in humanitarian access.

Delivering humanitarian aid in one of the most insecure places in the world is costly and extremely difficult. The most insecure south and central regions of Somalia are largely no-go areas for foreign aid workers and most aid operations are managed remotely from neighbouring Kenya. The semi-autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland are relatively stable and consequently host large numbers of displaced persons.

Humanitarian aid to Somalia almost doubled from US$267.3 million in 2007 to US$552.3 million in 2008 in response to the escalating crisis. By the end of 2011, however, the UN estimated the humanitarian requirements for 2012 to be at US$1.5 billion.