Somali violence tops catastrophe list

Leading the dire health conditions in Burma and Zimbabwe, the violence in the Horn of Africa nation topped the list which is annually published by the group also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Head of MSF mission in Somalia Kenneth Lavelle said unabated struggle between government troops and opposition fighters accounts for daily desertion of cities by civilians.

According to UN estimates, over one million Somalis have fled the fighting which together with political instability has been cited as the root cause of the calamitous situation inside the country.

"Families of five have less than a few square meters to settle in, without proper shelter," Lavelle was quoted as saying on the group's website.

From January to late November, MSF relief workers medically assisted nearly 2,300 people injured by rounds of ammunition.

"We are unable to meet any needs other than the immediate, life-saving needs. Our response is most certainly inadequate when taking into account the gravity of the situation," Lavelle added.

The country has sustained 17 years of instability following the 1991 deposition of the former dictator president Mohammed Siad Bare, which left Somalia without a central government.

The director, however, had said "despite the insecurity, MSF has still been able to respond thanks to our Somali colleagues, who are taking tremendous risks to provide assistance."

The group's list of 2008 catastrophes:

1. Somalia's humanitarian catastrophe
2. Critical health needs in Burma
3. Health crisis in Zimbabwe
4. Civilians trapped by war in eastern Congo
5. Malnutrition
6. Need for assistance in Ethiopia's Somali region
7. Civilians forced to flee fighting in northwestern Pakistan
8. Violence in Sudan
9. Iraqi civilians in need of assistance
10. HIV/Tuberculosis (TB) co-infections

HN/MMN