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SOMALIA: Thousands flee to Mogadishu after Afgoye fighting NAIROBI, 28 February 2012 (IRIN) - A renewed offensive against Al-Shabab insurgents by Somali government forces, backed by Ethiopian, Kenyan and African Union troops, has sparked another influx of civilians to the capital Mogadishu, locals told IRIN. Read More..
HORN OF AFRICA: Drought warning prompts call for early action KIGALI, 29 February 2012 (IRIN) - Drought is likely to return to Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa over the next three months, say regional climate scientists meeting in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. The forecast comes just weeks after the UN declared the Somali “famine” over. Read More..
SOMALIA: Mogadishu terror continues, despite Al-Shabab "withdrawal" NAIROBI, 1 March 2012 (IRIN) - Although Al-Shabab insurgents announced their withdrawal from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011, insecurity in the city has continued, as evidenced by the targeted killing of a journalist and a bomb blast in the past week. Read More..
SOMALIA: Benefits - and risks - of Puntland oil NAIROBI, 8 March 2012 (IRIN) - The recent discovery of oil deposits in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, could improve its population's livelihoods as long as it is handled properly, officials and locals told IRIN. Read More..
SOMALIA: Diaspora for development LONDON, 9 March 2012 (IRIN) - Somalis living abroad send home more than US$1 billion - perhaps even as much as $2 billion - every year, and they have kept on doing so, despite bureaucratic obstacles. Now a report commissioned by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) considers how the outside world can help Somalis abroad contribute to the country’s development. Read More..
SOMALIA: Drought affecting thousands in Somaliland HARGEISA, 30 March 2012 (IRIN) - Officials in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, are appealing for food aid and potable water for thousands of families who have lost their livelihoods in the current drought. Read More..
SOMALIA: Border town in a fix over water HARGEISA, 27 March 2012 (IRIN) - Water scarcity in Tog-Wajale, a town straddling the border between northwest Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland and Ethiopia, is threatening the health and livelihoods of locals who cannot afford to buy it. Read More..
AID POLICY: Humanitarianism in a changing world* DUBAI, 4 April 2012 (IRIN) - There is “worrying evidence” that the scale and scope of disasters will increase significantly in coming years and “the international community is not prepared,” says Ross Mountain, director-general of Development Assistance Research Associates (DARA), a Madrid-based think-tank which advocates better humanitarian policies. Read More..
SOMALIA: Military emphasis at conference “puts more civilians at risk” LONDON, 24 February 2012 (IRIN) - The London Conference on Somalia ended with a seven-point plan aimed at boosting humanitarian aid and support for African Union troops, and tougher action on piracy, but “fell short on the measures required to address the risks faced by civilians”, said Amnesty International. Read More..
HORN OF AFRICA: Greater food insecurity forecast NAIROBI, 5 April 2012 (IRIN) - Food insecurity in the eastern Horn of Africa is expected to worsen as a result of less rain than previously forecast falling in the key March-to-May season. Read More..
SECURITY: A quick reaction force moulded by Africa's circumstances JOHANNESBURG, 9 May 2012 (IRIN) - Africa’s crises are both honing and stalling the formation of the African Standby Force (ASF) of the African Union (AU) - a quick reaction force that could eventually number about 30,000 troops to be deployed in a range of scenarios, from peacekeeping to direct military intervention. Read More..
SOMALIA: Thousands displaced by fighting in Gedo NAIROBI, 15 March 2012 (IRIN) - Several thousand people have been displaced by clashes between Al-Shabab insurgents and Somali troops assisted by Ethiopian and Kenyan soldiers in Somalia's southwestern Gedo region, locals told IRIN. Read More..
KENYA-SOMALIA: “I never regret being in Dadaab” DADAAB, 23 March 2012 (IRIN) - Dadaab, which is home to an estimated 463,000 Somali refugees, has since November 2011 recorded a series of abductions and road-side bombs, which the Kenyan police attribute to people linked to Somalia's insurgent Al-Shabab group. Read More..
SOMALIA: Hargeisa stall demolitions infuriate traders HARGEISA, 26 March 2012 (IRIN) - Thousands of traders in Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, are incensed at having their businesses demolished in a city beautification drive, and some fear the move could lead to a crime wave. Read More..
