The United Nations estimates around 600,000 people this year have fled fighting in Mogadishu between insurgents and Ethiopian-backed government forces.

But many people remain trapped in the capital. Red Cross spokeswoman, Anna Schaff, tells VOA the extent of the emergency can be seen in the massive increase in medical needs in Mogadishu. She says the number of war wounded keeps growing.

"The main concern is that this year there have been about 4,000 patients treated already at the hospitals in Mogadishu that we are supporting, and this figure is actually double of the patients we treated last year," said Schaff.

"Also, those who are wounded have difficult access to medical facilities. The ICRC is supporting two hospitals in Mogadishu but the worse is that the population, it is very difficult for the population to access the medical facilities," she continued. 

Schaff says one third of this year's patients were women or children under age 15. Also, during 2007, she says the number of surgeries in the two hospitals increased by 62 percent over the preceding year. In addition to medical services, Schaff says the Red Cross has been providing assistance to people forced to flee their homes because of the fighting.

"During the whole year, for example, we have assisted over 800,000 people with essential household items," said Schaff. "That is in different areas of Somalia in the south as well as in the center and the areas around Mogadishu."

"We also gave food rations in 2007 to over 230,000 people who were forced to flee Mogadishu. We are also providing drinking water. This year in 2007, around 21 million liters of water were distributed to those who had to flee," she added.

Red Cross officials say they are worried about how the humanitarian situation in Somalia is going to play out. Besides the continuing conflict, they say there is the threat of possible flooding and drought.

They say they have no idea when the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled Mogadishu will decide to return home. Until then, they say, the strain on the displaced and on the communities that have taken them in will remain huge.

Source: VOA, Dec 25, 2007

somalipeace10 @ 12/26/2007 5:27 AM EST  Some warlord supporters want us to believe that Ethiopians illegally invaded Somalia because Somali people failed to solve their own problems. We all know that the warlords who divided Somalia into clan fiefdoms. Meles Zenawi armed the warlords to fight each other, when the warlords were chased out Ethiopia sent its troops. Meles is in Somalia to prevent united Somalia to emerge, however, his troops will be defeated and will end in humiliation.

somalipeace10 @ 12/26/2007 5:23 AM EST  After one year Ethiopian occupation has caused mass displacement, indiscriminately shelled civilian areas. The Ethiopian stooges have done nothing they have served spokesmen of the occupation. Somali people are fiercely resisting this genocidal occupation and soon the occupation will end soon. The warlords led by Abdulahi Yusuf are irrelevant and are confined to Baidoa. When Ethiopian troops are forced out the stooges will follow. However, their crimes will not go unpunished.

xumoow @ 12/26/2007 12:48 AM EST  Lets be serious people. We know Ethiopians are there because we couldn't resolve our differences. Two presidents came before Abdullahi Yusuf and as we know, they collected donations and armed their tribes. To his credit, Mr. Yusuf is trying to bring the rule of law to greedy anarchist.

adamjama @ 12/25/2007 7:01 PM EST  What Ethiopian backed government forces is she refering to? With all the suffering & genocide going on in Somalia the only time we hear from the Ethiopian stooges is when they are cheering for Zenawe or uttering something senseless. Remember Yeey saying he heard it from the radio when his people in Ras-Kambooni were bombed by US planes. When Salad Jeele said "Tani qax ma hurto waayee, intee loo qixi doonaa" & the Mohamed Dheere saying all the 750,000 who fled Ethiopian shelling are Al-Qaida. Then the minister of agriculture said the food the UN is bringing to the internally displaced Somalis is negatively affective Somali farmers productivity. Yesterday another clown from the foreign ministry said "as our master Zenawe said, the UN is exaggerating the suffering in Somalia". we don't have government, what we have is a merciless enemy eradicating our people(women & children) right in front of our own eyes.

beyourown @ 12/25/2007 3:40 PM EST  "600,000" This number is understimated. Mogadishu residents are estimated around 2.5 million and two third of the residents are fled how it can be 600,000? I do know who are fighting - that Somali resistance and invaders(Ethopians, but I don't political meaning of the word "insurgemts". Among Somalis who know this word - ethically (insurgents)

Gaadh-haye @ 12/25/2007 2:02 PM EST  "The United Nations estimates around 600,000 people this year have fled fighting in Mogadishu between insurgents and Ethiopian-backed government forces," Lisa Schlein. The above quoted statement is a lie which any one with little knowledge of the Somali conflict can easily pick up. The fight is not between "insurgents and ´Ethiopian-backed´ government forces", as Lisa wants us to believe. But, its rather the other way round: Ethiopian forces mercilessly and indiscriminately killing at random innocent noncombatant civilians. And then to make matters worst by blocking the wounded and dying access to hospitals, cutting off water supplies and food from the UN agencies. All of these atrocities put together, and you have slow motion genocide at hand.