Global perspective Human stories

Somalia: UN rushes in relief aid following fire in displaced persons camp

Somalia: UN rushes in relief aid following fire in displaced persons camp

The United Nations, working with local authorities, has dispatched urgent aid in response to a disastrous fire affecting approximately 400 families in a camp for displaced persons in the Puntland region of Somalia.

The fire further worsened the living conditions of residents who had already been living in what one official termed “sub-human conditions,” destroying their personal belongings and household items.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), working with the Puntland administration, is providing basic essentials such as water as well as resettlement kits, blankets, cooking utensils and food such as high-protein biscuits.

At the same time, UN officials are warning that these measures are short-term and that the lack of permanent settlements for the internally displaced must be addressed.

Looking to the future, the Puntland administration and various UN agencies have pledged to work in partnership with other agencies in alleviating the conditions of the approximately 28,000 displaced people living in the region.