UN envoy warns of deepening crisis in parts of Somalia struggling with conflict
South West State is home to nearly a million internally displaced people and has become the epicentre of Somalia’s humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations’ top official in Somalia has urged political unity and greater international support for South West State of Somalia.
The state grapples with worsening insecurity, looming elections and an overwhelming humanitarian crisis.
Amb. James Swan, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, visited Baidoa on Monday for talks with the state president, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Laftagareen”.
They discussed the fragile security situation, election preparations and aid needs.
The two leaders acknowledged the immense pressures facing one of Somalia’s most volatile regions.
South West State is home to nearly a million internally displaced people. It has become the epicentre of Somalia’s humanitarian crisis.
Baidoa, the administrative capital of the state alone hosts around 650,000 people uprooted by conflict and drought, most living in sprawling camps with limited access to food, clean water and health services. Aid agencies have warned that funding shortfalls are compounding the crisis, even as needs continue to rise.
“Communities here are shouldering extraordinary burdens at a time of global donor fatigue,” Swan told reporters after the meeting.
He insisted that the UN would continue to provide support “within available resources”, but acknowledged the limits of what can be done.
Swan praised local forces for recent gains against al-Shabaab in Lower Shabelle, including the recapture of the towns of Sabiid and Bariire.
The diplomat said security in Somalia remains precarious and warned that the militant group still poses a potent threat.
After more than five decades without direct popular elections, the Horn of Africa country is planning to hold a landmark shift to universal suffrage.
The direct elections will start with local polls in June 2025, parliamentary and state leadership elections in September 2025, and culminating in a direct presidential election in 2026.
Voter registration has already commenced, and the legal framework is in place.
With national elections approaching, voter registration has begun across the state, including mobile initiatives aimed at reaching women, youth and displaced communities.
Amb. Swan stressed the need for dialogue among Somalia’s leaders, saying that Laftagareen “has played a constructive role in the past and could do so again” as political tensions simmer between the federal government and its member states.
“The message from the UN is clear: Somalia’s future depends on unity and inclusivity,” he said.
The visit comes as aid workers warn of a “forgotten crisis” in South West State, where conflict, climate shocks and donor fatigue have left millions on the brink.
