Since 1990, Somalia has been the site of an intense civil war that has disrupted health-care services and food delivery to a substantial part of the country. A regional drought, in combination with the ongoing civil disturbances, has further resulted in widespread famine. Multiple international government- and nongovernment-aid agencies are involved in the relief effort for Somalia. However, security problems in most areas of Somalia have prevented recent, systematic population-based assessments of the health and nutritional status of local Somali populations for use in directing relief efforts. To characterize the mortality of various Somali populations and to provide data on major population centers outside of the capital (Mogadishu), CDC, in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the U.S. Agency for International Development, conducted a survey (1) of urban populations in a central region of Somalia (Figure 1). This report describes two pilot assessments performed during November 20-25 and December 5-6, 1992, in the towns of Baidoa and Afgoi.