Somalia: Observations Regarding the Northern Conflict and Resulting Conditions]

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the conflict between the Somali government and the opposition Somali National Movement, focusing on: (1) Somali refugees' reasons for fleeing to Ethiopia; (2) the extent of destruction in Hargeisa, Somalia's second largest city; (3) types and use of U.S. assistance provided during the conflict; (4) the United Nations' (UN) role in distributing U.S. assistance and its reaction to the arming of refugees; and (5) the conditions under which refugees would return to Somalia.