Fighting in Somalia's capital Mogadishu between Islamist insurgents and pro-government troops has uprooted 8,000 people since Friday, forcing them into makeshift camps where there is little food, shelter and clean water, agencies said.
Some of the worst clashes in recent weeks have killed nearly 200 people in the volatile capital and forced some 67,000 residents to flee. At least 53 people were killed since Friday when government forces shelled rebel strongholds in the coastal city.
Roberta Russo, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, said relief workers were finding it increasingly difficult to access displaced populations outside Mogadishu because of insecurity. It was also hard for them to keep track of large groups of people who were on the move, she said.
"It is almost impossible for us or even our Somali partner organisations to reach these people who are likely to go without food and shelter for a long time," Russo said.
The fighting has forced some of the 70,000 people who had returned to Mogadishu at the beginning of the year to hit the road again, carrying what they can.
UNHCR said most of the newly displaced are heading towards Afgoye, 30 km (19 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, where a number of makeshift camps already host some 400,000 internal refugees.
"When people get displaced a lot of times they become increasingly vulnerable and the most urgent need now becomes emergency shelter," said Dawn Blalock, spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for Somalia.
AID DELIVERY
Somalia has been mired in lawlessness since warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, making it one of the most dangerous places in the world. Delivering aid to Somalia is fraught with difficulties, often requiring escorts with private militias and frequent stops at impromptu checkpoints where payments must be made for passage.
Drought is exacerbating the situation for an estimated 3.2 million in urgent need of food aid.
On Sunday Mohamud Abdi Garweyneh, SomaliaÂ?s humanitarian minister, appealed to aid groups, international donors and organisations such as the European Union, African Union (AU), Arab League and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development for emergency assistance.
Islamist insurgents took up arms in 2007 to drive out Ethiopian troops propping up a Western-backed government which failed to wield control over much of Somalia.
Although Ethiopian soldiers withdrew in January, the insurgents have continued a campaign of attacks targeting government and AU forces.
Neighbouring states and Western governments fear Somalia could become a base for militants linked to al Qaeda, posing a regional threat, unless the new Somali government can defeat them.
AFRICA'S LARGEST REFUGEE CAMP
UNHCR says the number of Somali refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries continues to rise.
Many have made their way to Dadaab refugee camp in arid northern Kenya which was initially designed for 90,000 refugees but currently houses 275,000 mainly Somali refugees, UNHCR said.
"We are discussing with the government the need to expand Dadaab camp but that arrangement has not yet been finalised," said Emmanuel Nyabera, spokesman for UNHCR Kenya.
"We are seeking either to transfer some of these refugees to another or create a new camp near the border."
Divided into three camps -- Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera -- Dadaab is a settlement of mainly flimsy huts and tents on sandy scrubland which UNHCR says is Africa's largest refugee camp.
The United Nations has been in negotiations with Kenyan authorities over reopening crossing points that were closed in 2007, but the Kenyan government maintains that that would leave the country open to an influx of refugees and small weapons, which would worsen insecurity.
"Despite the fact that the border has been closed, we have been received thousands of people from Somalia every month," Nyabera said.
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