a number of operational and logistical difficulties since it had begun in the second half of February, resulting in delays in meeting the implementation target. The mid-term inter-agency assessment mission had therefore been advanced to the third week of March. Its appraisal exercise had been reported on at the third I • • • E/1990/SR.5 English Page 15 (Mr. Hashim) meeting of the Consultative Group on the Emergency Situation in the Horn of Africa, held at Nairobi in early April. The mission had determined that only just over half of the planned 2,000 tons of foo.d had been delivered each month. Even in the best of circumstances foo.d delivery could reach only two thirds of the original target. The Internationtl Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had envisaged expanding its current humanitarian programmes for internally displaced persons to include refugees once the Em¢rgency Programme ended. i The ICRC programme would continue until the Vnited Nat~ons system was able to resume normal humanitarian assi,stance activities in the .,region. ICRC and the Somali Government had been discussing the operational arrangem+nts required. Many observers felt that there would be no permanent peace in northern Somalia until most of the retugees had returned to Ethiopia. Repatriation activities must therefore receive th. highest priority. Registration of refugees in the north for repatriation should be facilitated, and any obstacles to their positive reception at home should be de~lt with expeditiously. Donor support for that effort to achieve a lasting solution must also be ensured. Access in orderl to carry out United Nations relief activities on behalf of displaced and war-af~ected persons was currently limited to the town of Berbera and a small area in and firou:nd the town of Boroma. The aim was to establish that there were parts of northern Somalia where security was such that United Nations staff 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa, specifically in northern Somalia, discussing the difficulties in delivering food aid, repatriation of refugees, and ensuring their reception. It also touches on the role of international organizations, such as the ICRC, in providing humanitarian assistance. Given the context, it is likely that the text falls under the category of humanitarian aid and relief.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief