More than 7,000 drought-affected Somalis at an over-crowded transit
centre in the Ethiopian town of Dollo Ado or at Liboi on the
Kenyan-Somali border have been provided vital transportation
assistance by IOM.

However, the Organization is asking donors for a quick response
to its appeal for USD 26.6 million last week so that it can carry
out its essential work assisting drought and famine victims.

Since it began an operation to relocate about 15,000 Somalis
from the transit centre at Dollo Ado to a new displacement camp at
Halewyin last week, IOM has so far assisted well over 6,000
people.

Close to 1,000 Somalis stranded at the Kenyan-Somali border,
mostly women and children in an extremely weakened state and in
urgent need of transport assistance to the Dadaab refugee camp,
have been similarly helped by IOM.

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In both cases, IOM doctors are carrying out medical checks
before the displaced embark IOM buses with primary health care
being given to those in need.

With Somali famine victims continuing to arrive both in Ethiopia
and Kenya on a daily basis, efforts to ease over-crowding at
existing refugee-hosting facilities and minimise health risks by
relocating people to new sites is critical.

IOM will, in the weeks to come, begin transporting a further
30,000 displaced Somalis currently seeking shelter on the outskirts
of Dagahaley at Dadaab in Kenya to an extension currently being
prepared at the site at Ifo. IOM staff have already begun clearing
bush and demarcating plots for pitching the first of 7,500 tents
there.

"The relocation of famine victims to areas where they can be
provided the humanitarian assistance they so desperately need is an
essential part of the response to this crisis," says Jeff Labovitz,
IOM's special emergency coordinator for the Horn of Africa Crisis.
"The stress on over-crowded camps, the transit facilities or on the
most vulnerable unable to take a step further on their journey to
seek refuge, will have tragic consequences if we cannot move them
due to a lack of funds."

IOM and UNHCR are activating the release of up to USD 1 million
from their joint Rapid Response Transportation Fund (RRTF) to cover
some of the immediate transportation needs but will need to
reimburse the Fund.

Meanwhile, IOM health staff are continuing to assist Somali
drought and famine victims in Ethiopia and Kenya, particularly
through medical checks. In coordination with government and
humanitarian partners, IOM doctors at Melkadida and Kobe camps in
Ethiopia are assisting government medical teams to build health
capacities and carry out health assessments in an effort to fill
gaps.

Elsewhere in Ethiopia, IOM is currently participating in a joint
needs assessment of displaced Somalis at Gode in the south-east of
the country with UN and NGO partners which will conclude
shortly.

In Dadaab, Kenya, IOM preparations to help pastoralist host
communities also suffering from severe drought are being finalized.
Many hundreds of goats and sheep will be replaced by camels, better
able to resist drought and provide milk for families.

IOM staff report that cattle are in very poor condition and
cannot even be slaughtered for meat as they are too decimated.

The Organization also plans to map out both pastoralist and
livestock migratory routes in the area to help provide more
effective water solutions. In the meantime, water storage
facilities will be provided to host communities as currently they
share troughs with their livestock. During the next six months, the
Organization also plans to rehabilitate or construct water pans,
tanks and kiosks in the area.

For more detailed information on the IOM appeal for the Horn of
Africa Crisis or to donate funds, please go to: "paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"http://www.iom.int/">www.iom.int

Media, please contact:

In Kenya,

Lillian Matama

IOM Nairobi

Tel: + 254713601043

E-mail:  "mailto:lmatama@iom.int">lmatama@iom.int 

or

John McCue

IOM Dadaab

Tel: +254722202173

E-mail: "mailto:jmccue@iom.int">jmccue@iom.int

In Ethiopia,

Demissew Buziwork

Tel: +251 11 661 11 71

E-mail: "mailto:dbuziworka2@iom.int">dbuziworka2@iom.int

In Geneva,

Jemini Pandya

Tel: + 41 22 717 9486/+ 41 79 217 3374

E-mail: "mailto:jpandya@iom.int">jpandya@iom.int

or

Jumbe Omari Jumbe

Tel: + 41 22 717 9405/+ 41 79 812 7734

E-mail: "mailto:jjumbe@iom.int">jjumbe@iom.int