Statement by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mr. Adam Abdelmoula, on the situation in Bossaso, Puntland State

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I am extremely concerned about the impact of ongoing hostilities in Bossaso, Puntland State, on civilians.

With the fighting in Bossaso town continuing into a third consecutive day, more than half of the city’s population has reportedly been displaced from their homes. According to humanitarian partners and local authorities, some 40 per cent of 70,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) hosted in Bossaso town are also reported to have experienced secondary displacement.

The closure of shops has limited the possibility of vulnerable people, including IDPs and drought-affected communities, to redeem their vouchers for basic supplies.

I am further concerned that fighting has negatively affected the ability of humanitarian partners to reach the displaced people who are in urgent need of humanitarian and protection assistance.

I urge all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure unfettered access for humanitarian workers to all people in need of assistance.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).