The Somali famine, despair and resilience
Viewing from afar the grim images of women, children, and elderly suffering from the agony of protracted civil-war and the worst famine in Somalia through television or computer screens does not prepare the human mind for the reality that awaits on the ground. I was confronted with that reality upon arriving where many consider the [...]
Doctors warn of famine as disease spreads and aid dwindles in Somalia
MOGADISHU, Nov 17 (IPS) – Doctors in Mogadishu are warning that famine victims in internally displaced camps have become vulnerable to contagious diseases like cholera and measles, as conditions here are ripe for an outbreak. This comes as internally displaced persons complain that relief aid to some camps has dwindled or stopped. The leader of a [...]
Human trafficking is on the rise in the Horn of Africa amidst the drought and famine the region faces
RIFT VALLEY, Kenya (IPS) – Amina Shakir (not her real name) fled the drought and famine in Somalia for a better life in Kenya. But she did so illegally, placing her faith in the hands of a criminal network headed by Mukhalis or agents in Swahili. In the end her faith was misplaced as she [...]
Mogadishu is desperately in need of more foreign assistance
MOGADISHU (IPS) – The shelling and gunshots, once a common sound in Mogadishu, no longer ring out in the city’s streets. The surprise withdrawal on Aug. 6 of the Islamist extremist group Al Shabaab from their stronghold in Mogadishu has meant that people now move about the city, for the first time in two years, [...]
Massive school dropouts as famine continues in Somalia
NAIROBI, Aug 18 (IPS) – Jamaal Abdi, an eight-year-old boy at the Badbaado camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, would like to have an education. He has his own dreams for the future. But since Abdi and his family arrived at Badbaado camp – the biggest camp for people displaced by the drought and famine [...]
The world must act now as Somalia buries its dead from starvation
An estimated 3.7 million people in Somalia — around a third of the population — are on the brink of starvation, and millions more in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have been struck by the worst drought in the region in decades. Many in Somalia are fleeing to neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia, but up to 100,000 people have [...]
Somali leaders risk losing financial support if they don’t resolve their differences
Somali leaders have been warned by the U.N. Security Council that they risk losing financial support if they can’t agree on how to carry out upcoming elections. Somalia’s government depends on international support for almost everything, including the salaries of soldiers and lawmakers. Around 9,000 African Union troops are stationed in Mogadishu to prevent the government [...]
Somali government to extend its mandate for another year
MOGADISHU, March 28, 2011 (AFP) – The Somalia goverment said Monday it will prolong its mandate, set to expire in August, by one year, in order to finish the projects it has started. ”The cabinet, after considering the legal institutions’ mandate that expires August 2011 and the activities done by the government during the short time [...]
50 people killed in Somalia as government forces launch offensive against insurgents
MOGADISHU, February 23, 2011 (AFP) – Somali government forces backed by African Union troops on Wednesday launched a fresh offensive against Al Qaeda-inspired rebels, leaving at least 50 people dead nationwide, witnesses said. ”We have counted at least 20 civilians killed,” Ali Muse, head of the Mogadishu ambulance service said. Residents spoke of one dead insurgent in [...]
Somalia, US, and the Dual-Track letdown
Somalia in particular and Horn of Africa in general are at such a volatile stage that any misstep—domestic or foreign—could only further exacerbate that perilous condition. One such potential misstep gathering cloud is the recently proposed US foreign policy toward Somalia known as the Dual-Track approach. First, a brief background: In 2006—over a decade after the [...]
Samuel L. Bangura: 
Tarawali's: 
FREEDOM FOR MOROCCO: 
youins: 
Mo Sande: