Somalia is currently facing a devastating humanitarian crisis. The security and human rights situation has deteriorated continuously since December 2006. There are currently 3.25m million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance across Somalia – a 77% increase since January 2008. 1.3 million people are currently displaced - 870,000 of these have been forced to flee their homes due to violence and insecurity since the start of 2007. Somalia has the highest levels of malnutrition in the world - up to 300,000 children acutely malnourished annually. The crisis is still dramatically worsening due to a combination of three main factors – extreme and worsening insecurity, deepening drought and hyperinflation causing record- high food prices. The crisis is compounded by extremely limited access to those in need. Insecurity, targeted assassinations, kidnappings, and threats against international and national staff of INGOs and LNGOs have reduced the ability of agencies to operate and are causing many agencies to modify their ways of working in order to adapt to the current context. This paper sets out some of the options in this regard.
