Sweden has been working on development cooperation initiatives with Somalia since the 1980s, but the cooperation was broken off when the war broke out. Since 1991, Sweden has been contributing with humanitarian support.
The support goes to the help organizations on site that have experience working in the country. The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, and the UN’s World Food Programme (WPP) are some of the organizations in Somalia that receive support from Sida every year. The Swedish Red Cross is another.
We are also supporting smaller organizations. One of these is Danish Deming Group, which has cleared many rural areas of landmines.
One million people displaced
There are up to one million internally displaced people in Somalia. Sida supports these people by providing accommodation. Our support is channelled through the UN’s agency for housing and human settlements, UN-HABITAT, and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The situation for aid workers in Somalia is difficult. Road blocks, harassment and ambushes make the situation risky, and some aid workers have even been kidnapped and killed. The huge need for humanitarian support has delayed the task of stabilizing the country.
Sweden’s policy was updated in 2009. In addition to humanitarian help, Sweden is providing support to prevent conflicts. One important part of this is the support for the transitional institutions, which were put in place following the peace agreement in2004.
The uncertain situation, natural disasters and flare-ups of violence place heavy demands on aid work. Emergency efforts will be needed for a long time to come. Today, because fighting has flared up again, the focus has returned to providing quick humanitarian aid. Long-term work will probably have to wait.
