Mogadishu (Sunatimes) An international agency Oxfam has Friday said that escalating fighting and insecurity along the Kenya-Somalia border risks increasing the suffering for civilians already devastated by drought and conflict, three months since famine was announced in Somalia.

Oxfam said that any increase in fighting is likely to cause further displacement and restrict the aid effort at a time when 750,000 Somalis are at risk of death due to deteriorating conditions.

The agency urged all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and make all efforts to minimise civilian casualties, while ensuring that the flow of aid to famine zones is not affected.

Oxfam said the fighting, and the tightening of security along the border, could also make it much more difficult for refugees to leave Somalia for Dadaab camp, and that their right to seek refuge in Kenya must be upheld. Several hundred refugees have been crossing the border every day in search of aid and safety.

Oxfam’s Regional Director Fran Equiza, said they are extremely concerned that the current fighting is likely to have a serious impact on communities left struggling to survive by the famine.

Equiza said top priority must be taken at the moment to make sure that people get aid quickly, saying that increased conflict will make it even more difficult to provide them with food, water and other life-saving assistance.

Equiza added that people are fleeing the most unimaginable suffering and arrive at camps desperate for food, water and shelter.

Malnutrition rates among children in Somalia are the worst in the world, and the upcoming rainy season brings the threat of outbreaks of disease among communities weakened by malnutrition.

Oxfam said that in the past military action in Somalia has had a negative impact on civilians and further reduced access for aid agencies. It called for a new approach in dealing with the Somalia crisis, through sustained diplomatic engagement involving all the different parties.

By Hawo Abdulle