Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024 Explosive Hazards AoR Narrative

People in need

2.3 million
People targeted

400 thousand
Financial requirements (US$)

9 million
Number of partners

4

Contact persons (e-mail): husseina@unops.org

1. Trends in Sectoral Needs

APMBC Deadline Extension to 2027: Somalia's new Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) deadline comes with additional funding and operational requirements, which obligate Somalia to implement comprehensive capacity building for the national institutions, a nationwide non-technical survey (NTS), and intensive explosive ordnance risk education (EORE).
Explosive Hazards in Newly Recovered Areas: As military campaigns increase, communities in newly recovered areas face an elevated risk in addition to the legacy contamination, given that locations previously under the control of anti-government elements were excluded from mine action assistance.
IEDs Affecting Civilians: Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have claimed a total of 4,495 civilian casualties, which is 55% of all IED casualties over the last four years. This risk spreads to new communities as military campaigns recover new areas, requiring IED risk awareness to help communities reduce their exposure.
Laas Caanood Conflict: The conflict in Laas Caanood resulted in extensive explosive ordnance contamination, exposing the communities to a significant risk of ERW accidents as they sought to reconstruct. The battle areas in the SSC regions require a comprehensive assessment and response to the EH threat.
Reducing EH AoR Partner Presence: The presence of active EH AoR operators has reduced to just two over the last 24 months due to the overall drop in funding for mine action in Somalia. This leaves a considerable financial and operational gap, impacting the ability to respond to the growing mine action needs.
Funding and Operational Uncertainty in EH AoR: The geographical coverage of EH AoR operations was largely in ATMIS-controlled locations, which could be impacted by the anticipated transition of ATMIS. This transition also has implications for the funding source that is currently supporting UNMAS-funded teams.
El Nino: Flood-affected communities have been forced to migrate to less-affected areas where explosive ordnance contamination remains uncertain. Returning communities may also encounter explosive items relocated by the floods, necessitating urgent measures to raise their awareness and respond to any callouts.

IEDs have resulted in 55% of the victims being civilians. This threat is expected to spread into new areas pursuant to the ongoing military offensives. In addition, children are the most vulnerable to ERW accidents, accounting for up to 80% of all recorded victims.

2. Response Scope and Priorities

2.1 Response Focus

The EH AoR partners have mapped the locations with explosive ordnance contamination and a high frequency of explosive ordnance accidents, overlaying them with the severity mapping. The deployments of partners for EORE and clearance activities are prioritized in these locations and proposed to include newly liberated areas.

2.2 Response Priorities and Coordination with other Clusters (Integrated Response)

Response to the most at-risk groups was prioritized, such as developing an awareness package for civilians and frontline workers exposed to the risk of IEDs, intensifying awareness-raising for children in new IDP settlements, in flood-affected areas, and communities living in contaminated areas. These activities include EORE training of trainers (ToT) to key persons and frontline humanitarian workers during disaster response.

For humanitarian and protection partners in the frontlines, the EH AoR provides EORE to protect the workers and EORE ToT for onward delivery to the targeted communities. Similarly, EH AoR partners with CP AoR to provide EORE to children in and out of schools. This was achieved in Laas Caanood, Kismayo, and Qoryoley.

3. Quality and inclusive programming

EH AoR employs a community-based approach to providing mine action assistance. This is delivered through a network of community liaison officers and clearance teams recruited from, trained, and deployed within the affected localities. These form the most suitable points of feedback and escalation mechanisms.

ERW accidents were recorded in locations that were unsafe or hard to reach. To reach these communities with EORE, EH AoR partners deployed portable risk education talking devices (RETDs) to the affected and to other highly mobile communities such as IDPs and nomadic families.
With a significant number of PwD who often find it difficult to participate in EORE sessions, the RETD has demonstrated the ability to break these barriers to participation by reaching the targeted beneficiaries at-source with messages that can be replayed on-demand.
With children accounting for more than 80% of all victims of EO accidents in Somalia, the RETD is considered effective, as they can listen repetitively to the engaging awareness messages. The device can be passed on to other households or domiciled in schools within the community.

4. Cost of response

This year places higher demands on the EH AoR to support Somalia’s APMBC obligations, compounded by the needs in newly liberated areas, the increase in IEDs affecting civilians, the contamination in Laas Caanood, and the flood-related displacements. These are to be implemented by the two main/active EH AoR partners.

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