A/HRC/18/48 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 15/28, in which the Council, inter alia, renewed the mandate of the independent expert for one year and requested him to report to the Council at its eighteenth session. The present report covers the period from September 2010 to July 2011. 2 The independent expert undertook his sixth and seventh field visits to Somalia and neighbouring countries from 15 to 26 February, and from 3 to 8 July 2011, respectively. During the first trip, he visited Djibouti to participate in the orientation session of Somali delegates involved in the preparation for the universal periodic review for Somalia, due in May 2011. He then visited Kenya, from where he made a short visit to Mogadishu (the airport only), followed by travel to Somaliland, Puntland and Gulmudug. In July 2011, the independent expert visited Mogadishu again, this time travelling outside the airport region to visit Government officials at Villa Somalia. He also visited the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya, which houses the largest number of Somali refugees in the world, making it the world’s largest concentration of refugees. 3. The most lasting impression left in the mind of the independent expert from these two visits was the devastating effects of the drought that has engulfed Somalia and the region since late in 2010. While in February the deleterious effects of the drought were observed more in its impact on livestock, a large number of which had perished, six months later the effects were evident on human beings, large numbers of whom were displaced from their homes and forced to seek refuge in other areas in the country or in neighbouring countries. At the time of writing, the drought situation had worsened a great deal and has become a famine already in two regions of Somalia. The United Nations has warned that famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months if decisive action is not taken immediately. 4. The independent expert would like to put on record his deep gratitude to all United Nations and non-United Nations staff that helped him during his two visits to Somalia. He was particularly impressed by their dedication and hard work, in the most difficult circumstances, to cater to the needs of the Somali people. They deserve to be warmly recognized and commended by the international community. 5. The information contained in the present report is based on discussions with people the independent expert met during his sixth and seventh trips to Somalia and the immediate region. They include the Vice-President of Puntland, the new Prime Minister of Somalia and several Government ministers and senior officials in all the places he visited, United Nations country team members, important citizens and members of civil society. In addition, a large number of reports and other documentation prepared by the United Nations and non-United Nations agencies were consulted. Most of the information relating to development in the human rights and humanitarian fields, including developments relating to the political and security situation, was culled from United Nations reports. An effort has been made to provide a comprehensive picture of important developments in Somalia in order to properly contextualize the human rights situation for readers. II. Drought and famine and the humanitarian situation 6. While in 2010 the food security situation in the Horn of Africa saw some improvement thanks to two consecutive seasons of good rainfall and above-average crop production, the lack of rainfall in late 2010 and in 2011 has led to a rapid and serious increase in vulnerability and food insecurity. 3