January 5, 2007
No. 01/07

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Announces Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia

Washington -- The Office of the Spokesman of the U.S. Department of State issued the following statement on January 4, 2007, on the announcement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of humanitarian assistance to Somalia.

The Somali people and the international community have an historic opportunity to begin to move beyond two-decades of warlordsim, extreme violence, and humanitarian suffering.  As part of our effort to help parties resolve the ongoing political and humanitarian crises in Somalia, I have dispatched Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer to the Horn of Africa region to meet with regional partners and Somali representatives to urge inclusive political dialogue, reconciliation to build a legitimate, functioning government that will serve all Somalis, and to move forward with the urgent deployment of a regional stabilization force (IGASOM).  We will continue to work in the context of the Somalia Contact Group to mobilize the support of the international community in support of the Somali people.  To support these goals and a peaceful consolidation of governance in Somalia, the United States will support the Transitional Federal Institutions and the deployment of a peace support mission through a robust assistance package. 

 In an initial response to humanitarian needs arising from the recent conflict, the United States is providing $11.5 million in food aid through the World Food Program, $1.5 million in non-food assistance through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and $3.575 million through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and implementing partners for assistance to Somali refugees.  These resources will help an additional 18,000 people displaced by recent floods and conflict.   We intend to seek additional substantial assistance to help Somalia with humanitarian, security, and reconstruction efforts.

The United States urges all donor partners, both regional and international, to join with us to provide immediate capacity-building assistance for the Transitional Federal Institutions, as well as humanitarian assistance to respond to the needs of the Somali people.  The United States further calls on Somalia’s neighbors to meet their international obligations regarding refugees while ensuring that borders remain secure against all dangerous elements seeking to further destabilize the region.  Somalia's neighbors and the rest of the international community also have an interest in Somalia not becoming a safe haven for terror.

###