SOMALIA: Cash transfers for social protection NAIROBI, 20 November 2012 (IRIN) - Expanding the use of cash transfer programmes could encourage sustainable development and reduce dependency on emergency support in fragile states such as Somalia, experts say. Read More..
SOMALIA: Kismayo feels the heat ahead of AMISOM assault MOGADISHU, 6 September 2012 (IRIN) - Hundreds of civilians have over recent weeks fled the Somali port city of Kismayo, where tension is rising amid sporadic shelling by the Kenyan navy in the run-up to an African Union military operation to dislodge Al-Shabab militants from their last stronghold in the country. Read More..
ETHIOPIA-SOMALIA: The cost of being a good neighbour DOLLO ADO, 12 November 2012 (IRIN) - Ethiopians would like to continue to be good Samaritans to the hundreds of thousands seeking refuge from drought and conflict in neighbouring Somalia, but massive camps in fragile environments have sparked concern among both the government and the people sharing space with the refugees. Read More..
In Brief: Thousands at risk of polio in Somalia’s port city of Kismayo KISMAYO, 9 November 2012 (IRIN) - An estimated 135,000 children are at risk of polio in Somalia’s port city of Kismayo, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Read More..
SOMALIA: Floods cause displacement in Somaliland* HARGEISA, 2 November 2012 (IRIN) - Heavy rains have displaced many residents in the mid-eastern regions of the self-declared republic of Somaliland. Read More..
SOMALIA: A snapshot of humanitarian challenges MOGADISHU, 7 November 2012 (IRIN) - After two decades of civil war, Somalia is finally seeing hope for lasting peace. After the August departure of Al-Shabab insurgents, thousands of people have returned to the capital, Mogadishu, looking to rebuild their lives, and in September, the election of a new president was widely viewed as the start of a new era for the country. Read More..
SOMALIA: Mogadishu IDPs suffer extortion, eviction MOGADISHU/NAIROBI, 1 November 2012 (IRIN) - Already struggling to access sporadic humanitarian assistance, internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Somali capital Mogadishu are also facing eviction by returning landowners and unscrupulous camp "gatekeepers" who siphon away what little aid is received, a new report says. Read More..
SOMALIA: Mammoth task ahead for new president MOGADISHU, 12 September 2012 (IRIN) - Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s election as president of Somalia has been heralded as the start of a new era for the troubled Horn of Africa state, which has been mired in conflict for over two decades. Residents of the capital, Mogadishu, say the new president has his work cut out for him. Read More..
HEALTH: The "unfinished business" of lowering child mortality NAIROBI, 13 September 2012 (IRIN) - In 1990, an estimated 12 million children around the world died under age five; by 2011, that figure had dropped to 6.9 million. The message, from a new report by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), is that with greater commitment to child survival from governments and their partners, these figures can go lower still. Read More..
SOMALIA: Suspected cholera kills a dozen in south MOGADISHU, 18 September 2012 (IRIN) - A suspected cholera outbreak has killed about a dozen people in the southern Somali village of Hoosingo, in the district of Badade in Lower Juba, say government and health officials. Read More..
SOMALIA: Principles and pragmatism* NAIROBI, 21 September 2012 (IRIN) - The advance by African Union troops (AMISOM) on the insurgent-held Somali port city of Kismayo brings into focus a challenge often faced by humanitarian actors in conflict zones: how to help those in need without associating themselves too closely with warring parties, even those which enjoy international backing. Read More..
SOMALIA: Dangers for journalists grow as new government takes hold MOGADISHU, 28 September 2012 (IRIN) - The situation of journalists in Somalia is becoming increasingly precarious as the country struggles to put behind it years of lawlessness following the recent successful election of a new president. Read More..
SOMALIA: Floods displace thousands in Beletweyne BELETWEYNE/NAIROBI, 1 October 2012 (IRIN) - Several people have been killed and thousands displaced after heavy rains in central Somalia’s Hiiraan Region caused the Shabelle River to burst its banks. Read More..
In Brief: Somalia joins the mine ban club JOHANNESBURG, 4 October 2012 (IRIN) - Somalia has become the 160th state member of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. It is the last of the sub-Saharan African countries to commit to the treaty. Read More..
KENYA-SOMALIA: Battling to contain cholera, hepatitis E outbreaks ISIOLO, 4 October 2012 (IRIN) - An outbreak of cholera along the Kenya-Somalia border has left dozens dead and many more sick, according to local residents, aid workers and government officials. Read More..
EASTERN AFRICA: Floods affect tens of thousands NAIROBI, 8 October 2012 (IRIN) - Above-average seasonal rains in parts of the East and Horn of Africa have affected tens of thousands of people, displacing families and restricting access to many in need, say humanitarian officials. The rains, coming ahead of a possible El Niño event, have prompted fears of further flooding. Read More..
SOMALIA: Grappling with road-accidents toll HARGEISA, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - The self-declared republic of Somaliland is grappling with an upsurge in traffic accidents, and officials say the trend will likely continue unless the government puts in place measures to curtail them. Read More..
SOMALIA: Food insecurity still a problem MOGADISHU, 16 October 2012 (IRIN) - Rising food costs, poor ‘Gu’ seasonal rains earlier in the year and continuing insecurity in parts of southern Somalia are affecting the nutritional status of vulnerable people there - a situation that could worsen in the coming months amid the risk of flooding, warn experts. Read More..
SOMALIA: Somaliland journalists under fire HARGEISA, 17 October 2012 (IRIN) - Journalists in the self-declared republic of Somaliland are increasingly being harassed and arrested by security forces there, say officials. Read More..
SOMALIA: IDPs in Luuq seek more assistance NAIROBI, 22 October 2012 (IRIN) - Thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Luuq, in Somalia's southern Gedo Region, say their overcrowded settlements are desperately short of basic needs, from shelter to clean water. Read More..
FOOD: The state of African wheat research JOHANNESBURG, 24 October 2012 (IRIN) - Researchers in Africa are identifying ways to improve domestic wheat production in the face of sub-optimal conditions and stiff international competition. Read More..
