WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: SOMALIA OPERATIONS SITUATION UPDATE AS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 UN ROME 000018 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/HS, PRM/MCE, AF AND EB/IFD/ODA USAID FOR DCHA, FFP, OFDA, AND AFRICA BUREAU NAIROBI FOR GEORGIANNA PLATT, SUREKA KHANDAGLE, NICK COX AND PETE MOHAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: WFP AORC EAID PREF UNHCR SUBJECT: WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: SOMALIA OPERATIONS SITUATION UPDATE AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2010 REF: A) 09 STATE 132604; B) UN ROME 01; C) UN ROME 03; D) UN ROME 08; E) UN ROME 10; F) UN ROME 12 ¶1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) WFP continues to express concerns over intensified fighting and shelling in Mogadishu. Although not targeted, WFP fears spillover into the port area where WFP is currently operating its feeding operations for Mogadishu and the Afgoye corridor. ¶3. (SBU) On February 15, WFP disseminated its latest situation report. The text is pasted in its entirety below: BEGIN REPORT "WFP Somalia Operations Situation As of February 15, 2010 Summary Update -- A second road convoy from Berbera Port, Somaliland has left for Galkayo, central Somalia with about 450 mt of maize. This follows a test convoy from Berbera to Galkayo which successfully delivered 300 mt of food two weeks ago. -- During the last week of January all 16 sites of the wet feeding programme in Mogadishu were fully operational. All 16 kitchens provided an average of 77,600 hot meals per day for the week. The total meals provided across the city during the 114th week of the programme were 473,320; taking the total number of meals delivered to 42,900,000 since the programme started in ¶2007. -- WFP Bossaso Sub Office, with the support of Country Office Programme Team, concluded a two-day programme implementation review meeting with 18 cooperating partners undertaking various activities in Puntland. During the meeting, the partners noted that reporting, invoicing and use of waybills has improved following the training conducted last year by WFP. However, targeting-related issues still need to be improved by using Village Data Base and issuing ration cards in order to streamline the process of food distribution. -- Due to the deteriorating runway conditions in Hargeisa, the UNHAS Dornier Jet (from Nairobi - Hargeisa- Wajir - Nairobi) has started using the Berbera airport since 2 February. A shuttle service with a smaller UNHAS aircraft between Hargeisa and Berbera is established. This service should be replaced by a UN vehicle shuttle service after one month. The UN staff exposure to security risks while traveling between Hargeisa and Berbera based on a scheduled routing shuttle service will increase substantially. -- UNHAS operations continue to be fully available to organisations wishing to fly into the South, subject to security clearance from UNDSS. WFP Security Update In Mogadishu, day missions for international staff members may be possible, subject to UNDSS New York Security Clearance. National staff members continue to operate from the seaport. The security situation in Mogadishu continues to rapidly deteriorate as attacks linked to A/S are intensifying in anticipation of a larger confrontation with government forces backed by AMISOM. Reports are now surfacing that some residents have begun to flee the capital as clashes between the two forces are expected to generate significant collateral damage. According to UNHCR, over 8,000 people have left the city to escape the fighting since the beginning of February. In Puntland, assassinations and hand grenade explosions are expected to continue especially in Galkacyo, Bossasso and Garowe. The Sool region, particularly the capital Las Anod, remains a hot spot, as both Somaliland and Puntland claim this territory and have fought over its control. UN ROME 00000018 002 OF 002 Most parts of Somaliland have remained accessible for humanitarian operations and humanitarian operations dependent on that access have not been significantly affected. Due to the prevailing security situation, areas such as Las Anod, Buuhoold, Xudun and Taleh that are located in the Sool region have remained closed." END REPORT COUSIN