Farmers Complain of Herders in Afgoye Town

Afgoye — With the drought grips many regions in southern and central
Somalia, farmers in Afgoye town, about 30 kilometers southwest of the
Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday complained about herders whose
livestock apparently sent to their farms.

The farmers said that the pastoralists are cutting their crops and
plants to feed their domestic animals which are severely affected by
the drought.

A farmer in Afgoye town in Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia
told Shabelle that what the situation too worse is that the livestock
started to die of hunger.

Thus, the herders attacked their farming fields to harvested and cut
of their plants and the owners of farmers said their crops are on
their verge of decimation if this attacks continue to rage.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201104250203.html

"Worst drought in a lifetime"

NAIROBI, 20 April 2011 (IRIN) - Officials and aid workers in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region have raised the alarm over the plight of drought-stricken villagers urgently needing food and water.

"We are experiencing the worst drought we have seen in decades; since the beginning of March, we have buried 54 people who died from the effects of the drought, seven of them today [20 April]," said Ali Barow, leader of the small town of Guulane, 220km northeast of Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

Barow said Guulane and the surrounding villages of Eil Barwaaqo, Hirka Dheere and Hagarey, with an estimated population of 20,000-25,000, were suffering the effects of a prolonged drought.

He said a local NGO had undertaken water trucking but it was not enough and "did not reach most of the residents. They did well but ran out of money before they could make much of a difference."

Abukar Abdulahi Tifow, the country director of the Women and Child Care Organization (WOCCA), a local NGO, who visited some of the villages, told IRIN the situation was desperate. "What we saw was depressing; some of the villagers were eating wild berries and cooking 'garaz' [a yellowish bean normally eaten by animals during drought]; that was all the food they had."

Tifow said his group trucked water for 1,420 families (about 8,520 people) in the four weeks they were there. "Unfortunately, there were many more we did not reach. We simply ran out of funds."

He said all the water points in the area had dried up. "The remaining water points are not fit for human consumption but people are desperate and will drink anything."

Tifow said almost all the deaths were water related. "Most of them died of AWD [acute watery diarrhoea] that was caused by drinking contaminated water."

Alasow Sharey Bool, 80, said both people and livestock were dying in the area. "In my 80 years, I have never experienced what I have seen now. This is the worst drought I have witnessed in my lifetime."

Bool said he had seen animals trying to eat the entrails of a dead animal: "That is how desperate the situation is."

He said in the past three years, the area had had very little or no rain. "What is making it worse is that we don't have anything to fall back on. We have not recovered from the last drought and now this one seems to be going on for ever.

"We have had problems with food shortages and water but I have never seen anything quite like this," Bool said, urging aid agencies to help.

A local journalist, who requested anonymity, said: "The entire region [Middle Shabelle] is suffering from a combination of a severe drought and incredibly high prices for the most basic necessities and needs help."

According to UN estimates, at least 2.4 million Somalis need help across the country, with another 1.4 million being displaced.

ah/js/mw[END]

Somalia drought leaves one in four children hungry - UN

Children in Somalia are suffering some of the highest malnutrition rates in the world, says the United Nations as drought continues to affect the country.

An UN official told the BBC about two and a half million people had been affected.

She said there had been complete crop failure in southern Somalia and that many had lost their livelihoods.

The country has also been ravaged by two decades of violence.

Many people are leaving rural areas to search for work in Somali towns, while others are quitting the country altogether - going to Kenya and Yemen, said Grainne Moloniy of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation.

"One in four children is malnourished - that's one of the highest rates in the world," she told the BBC's World Today programme.

The rains have either failed or been inadequate for several seasons, fields are parched, and livestock - the mainstay of the economy - are dying.

People are become more dependent on remittances from their Somali relatives abroad, Ms Moloniy said.

However, the Somali diaspora has been hit by the global economic crisis, and in the past few years has been unable to send as much money home.

UN agencies and other humanitarian groups are also short of funds - the UN has only raised a third of what it needs for food aid for Somalia, Ms Moloniy said.

With no end to the drought in sight, and insecurity continuing in many parts of Somalia, it is likely the situation will get worse before it gets better, says BBC Africa analyst Mary Harper.

The country has experienced more than 20 years of conflict, with Islamist insurgents fighting forces of the transitional government, backed by peacekeepers from the African Union.

Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13171252

Mahamud Abdi Omar, "I am not only surviving but thriving"

NAIROBI, 19 April 2011 (IRIN) - Mahamud Abdi Omar, 25, is a small businessman in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, which for years has been a battlefield between government troops and insurgents.

Like any other businessman in a war zone, Omar tries to make a living despite the violence. However, for hearing-impaired Omar, surviving in the war-torn city is not only tricky but dangerous.

Omar owns a small shop selling electronics, such as radios and watches, in the middle of Bakara market, the largest open-air market in the country and probably the most dangerous. Omar spoke to IRIN on 19 April about his experience:

"The shop was opened 10 years ago by my father; I started working with him when I was 15. My father passed away three years ago and I took over.

"My father knew that as a deaf person, I would have a hard time in Mogadishu but he always told me that I could do anything I wanted to. Life for someone like me is not easy in Mogadishu. It is hard for ordinary people but is doubly hard if you are physically challenged.

"I live in a city at war, so I have had to learn to read the signs when something is going to happen. It is easy when they use heavy weapons. I can feel the vibrations on the ground. My problem is when I am busy and not looking and they use small arms.

"Last week, for example, I was walking along the street when gunfire erupted and I only became aware of it when I saw a man fall in front of me bleeding; then I ran like everybody else.

"It seems we are always running from one shelter to another. Getting caught up in fighting is something every Mogadishu resident is familiar with but most are not deaf and so are immediately aware of what's going on. For me, and people like me, we have to be vigilant at all times.

"I would have liked to go to school like any other person but I could not because there were no schools for the deaf. Still, I am one of the lucky ones, thanks to my late father who instilled in me that I was as good as any other child and could do whatever I wanted.

"My wish is that younger children who are deaf or blind can get an education and lead the life of normal citizens. People are not very kind to those like me who may be different from them, but I am no longer worried about what people think.

"I know many people worried after my father passed away that I would not survive and the shop would close. But look at me now, I am not only surviving but I am thriving.

"The shop is doing well - when I can open it [constant fighting often closes the market]. Businesswise I am doing better than when my father was alive. People are used to my being deaf and I give them good service so they like me.

"I am thankful to God that I am able to take care of my mother and my two sisters."

ah/mw[END]

Shoe-shining in a war zone

MOGADISHU, 14 April 2011 (IRIN) - There are a lot of boots to shine in heavily militarized Mogadishu, and a lot of boys to shine them, despite the risks of bombs, bullets and beatings.

Two decades of civil war in Somalia's capital have left many civilians, particularly the youth, without employment or viable alternative means of earning a livelihood.

Ahmed Dini, a civil society activist involved in children's welfare, told IRIN that exact figures were not available but estimated that "roughly between 4,000 and 4,500 children live on the streets of Mogadishu". 

He said the numbers had been increasing in the past few years. "Some have lost their parents and others have been separated from families who fled the violence."

Halimo Ahmed*, an official of a women's business association in Mogadishu, told IRIN: "These children live under difficult situations while working in the streets. Sometimes, a child shining the shoes of soldier is caught up in conflict if rivals attack while the task is going on. In such situations, the children are [sometimes] killed accidentally.

"Two children were shot dead three months ago in K4 [a neighbourhood of southern Mogadishu] when the soldiers whose shoes they were shining were attacked by a militia group."

Fighting between government troops, backed by the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and opposition Islamist groups, continues in Mogadishu and other parts of the country and has caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Somalis.

Most of the children work as shoe-shiners in the southern part of Mogadishu, which is controlled by the Transitional Federal Government, or in the northern part controlled by opposition Islamist group, Al-Shabab.

Harassment

Due to daily conflict in the city, Ahmed said, these children are often harassed or denied payment by their customers.

"Sometimes, soldiers promise the children khat [mild stimulant widely chewed in the country] for shining their shoes then they later refuse to hand over the khat; if the children insist on being paid, they could even be shot," Ahmed said.

Both military and civilian customers sometimes abuse the shoe-shiners.

Osman Ali*, 9, has been shining shoes in Mogadishu for two years. "I was born in the north of Mogadishu and I have been working as a shoe shiner for two years now because my father is taking care of my mother, who is too ill, leaving me as the main provider for my five younger brothers.

"Sometimes TFG soldiers ask us to shine their shoes but when we ask for payment, they threaten us or even beat us."

Abdi Omar, 14, told IRIN: "I remember one Wednesday a few weeks ago when two soldiers came to me and asked me to shine their shoes. When I completed shining their shoes, they complained that I had not done the job properly. They left without paying me. In such cases, I just ask Allah to give them a hard time."

Displacement

Ali Abdi, 12, who works near Eil-gaab in the south, has not only been displaced several times, but survived a bomb attack.

"Initially, my family lived in Karan district [north]. One day, after I had left for work, war broke out in the area. When I returned home, my family had fled. I resorted to sleeping on the streets for about eight days. I later made my way to Eil-gaab where I met someone I knew. He told me my family had fled to Xamar-weyne [south Mogadishu].

"One of my worst experiences took place here in Eil-gaab. It happened early one morning after I had reported to work. Shooting started and a bomb exploded near my spot. A friend of mine, who was also shining shoes, was hit. He lost his leg and an arm; somehow, I managed to survive without an injury. I did not turn up to work for days after the incident."

Abdi said he later returned to work because he is the family's bread winner. "I earn about 40,000 shillings [US$1.50] daily and for this reason, I will not stop working despite the uncertainty involved."

High hopes

Many of the shoe-shining children expressed their desire for schooling.

"It is circumstances that have forced me to work for my family but if I can get an education I will be happy to go to school because I know that in future, education can help me," Mustaf Khadar, another shoe-shiner, said.

Several women's organizations are involved in efforts to support children who have to work to help their families.

"With the support of [international organizations] we have identified about 480 children in Galgadud and Mogadishu," an official of one, who declined to be named, told IRIN. "Some we feed while others we enrol in vocational training. However, we cannot host them in one place because we are afraid they could be bombed."

Despite the difficulties of working on Mogadishu's streets, many shoe-shiners are optimistic that the city will be peaceful some day.

"My mother tells me that fighting will end, but we are waiting to see this happening," Ismail Abdi said. "We hope that one day, we will go to school and that peace will come to Mogadishu."

*Not their real names

maj/js/am/mw[END]

Somalis drought prevention committee chief stands down

MOGADISHU (Mareeg.com13 aprill 2011) – The chairman of Somalia's
drought prevention committee on Wednesday stood down from his
portfolio.

In a press conference held today in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia,
Ibrahim Habeb Nur, said he quit his position, indicating that he made
long-term discussions and deliberations with government officials
about doing this decision.

Mr Nur, a Somali legislator, said the work of Somalia's prevention
committee was very heavy and enormous.

He said that he delivered humanitarian assistance to many needy
internally displaced people in Mogadishu during when he was the
chairman of that committee.

He said that in the past he had told to the parliament he can no
longer work in the national prevention committee.

The chairman of Somalia's drought prevention committee said Somali
prime minister had donated $ US 61,000 to help the IDPs in Mogadishu
and Somalia-Kenya border.

Vaccine fears fuel measles outbreak

NAIROBI, 7 April 2011 (IRIN) - The cause of a measles outbreak in Somalia has yet to be determined but doctors say initial suspicions point to "unfounded rumours" that the vaccine could cause HIV/AIDS in children and interfere with their reproductive abilities.

"There are false rumours creating fear among parents that the vaccination causes HIV/AIDS and can affect a child's reproductive system," said Ismail Isse Roble, head of the Bari Medical Association in Bosasso, capital of Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

Roble said most of the children brought to his clinic had not been vaccinated.

"The irony is that most of the affected children are those whose parents can afford medical care," he said. "Children in IDP [internally displaced persons] camps [in Bosasso] are least affected because they took advantage of the free vaccinations provided."

According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) Somalia, 83 cases, including five deaths, were reported in Mogadishu in the past five weeks. Some 127 cases were reported in Puntland, WHO said.

The agency said the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), WHO and their partners conducted outbreak response campaigns in the last week of March, vaccinating more than 75,000 children.

Although measles cannot be treated, WHO said, "it can easily be prevented by taking the measles vaccine that is provided in all MCH [mother-child health] facilities in Somalia daily for free".

Lul Mahamud Mohamed, head of the pediatric department at Benadir Hospital in Mogadishu, told IRIN she had been seeing more and more cases in the past three months.

"In February, we had 53 cases with three deaths; in March, there were 81 cases with six deaths," she said. "In the first week of April, we already had 17 cases and two deaths. The increasing numbers point to an upward trend," said Mohamed.

She said 90 percent of the patients were younger than two. Since February, 151 cases of measles have been reported in Benadir hospital alone.

"Already, there are response campaigns going on in the affected areas but they are being hampered by lack of access to certain areas," Mohamed told IRIN.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, which mostly affects children and is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. The virus can be transmitted in the air, in respiratory droplets or by direct contact with the nasal and throat secretions of infected persons, according to WHO.

Mohamed said overcrowding in parts of Mogadishu and in the IDP camps in the Afgoye corridor facilitated the spread of the virus.

Scotch the rumours

She said vaccines were available but parents had to be convinced to take their children to be immunized. "We need to mount an awareness campaign to fight these false rumours and lies that the vaccine will harm the child."

Mohamed appealed to parents with children aged between nine months and five years who had never received the measles vaccination to take their children to the nearest immunizing health facility.

Roble in Bosasso said religious scholars should also inform the people about the safety of the vaccines.

"They are the ones that ordinary Somalis will listen to; it is sad that in this day and age our children must die because of ignorance and lies," Roble said.

ah/mw[END]

This report online: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=92408

Fighting limits access to Bakara market

MOGADISHU, 7 April 2011 (IRIN) - Fighting between pro-government forces and Al-Shabab in Mogadishu has made it much harder for residents to access the Somali capital's economic heart, Bakara market.

Most of the roads leading to this commercial hub have been closed by Al-Shabab as Mogadishu becomes increasingly partitioned between areas under its control and those held by government troops and soldiers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

"Previously, the fighting did not mean the roads were closed," Fadumo Ahmed, a businesswoman and mother of eight, told IRIN.

"Nowadays it is difficult for me to get to Bakara market; it takes me at least three hours when in the past it took me only 10-15 minutes [by bus] to get to the market.

"To make matters worse, when you leave your house in the morning nowadays, you don't know whether you will return safely. However, we leave anyway because we must provide for our families."

According to Mogadishu-based journalist Yusuf Kaynan, in addition to waking up as early as 5am and paying a US$1.50 bus fare to get to the market, women who live in Ceelasha Biyaha, 10km southwest of the market, have to walk on the "dangerous" Farjano road, past the Sayidhka bridge that links the government-controlled area to Bakara.

"They risk being hit by stray bullets," Kaynan said. "Much as the women stick to the sides of the road to avoid being hit, it is not safe as the road passes in front of the two warring sides."

Kaynan said five civilians have been caught in the line of fire in the past two weeks, one of whom died on 27 March.

On 31 March, AMISOM and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) blamed Al-Shabab for blocking the roads by "digging trenches and tunnels".

"Despite the increased fighting, AMISOM and the TFG have maintained access along the Aden Adde Road, near Parliament, for commuters to access Bakara. Thousands of people use this access route each day," the statement added.

It went on to urge Al-Shabab to "stop shooting at trucks and workers, stop extorting money from businesses, and stop the indiscriminate shelling and targeting".

According to local estimates, Mogadishu had a population of 2.5 million but at least 1.5 million have since fled the city. Of the remainder, 90 percent live in TFG-controlled areas, the rest in Al-Shabab-controlled districts.

Fighting in Mogadishu between government troops and militants dates back to 2006 when Ethiopian-backed government troops seized control of the city from the Union of Islamic Courts - a grouping of several opposition groups - that had been in charge of the city for several months.

"We live with the daily sound of shelling and shootings; between seven and 10 deaths are reported every day," a local journalist, who requested anonymity, told IRIN in Mogadishu.

maj/js/am/mw[END]

This report online: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=92409

UN concern over poor camp conditions for Somali refugees

Dhadhaab, Kenya: More refugees are arriving to the camp from neighbouring Somalia daily, crowding more people into one of the largest refugee concentrations in the world.

Drought and two decades of violence have forced Somalis to flee their country and take refuge at the three Dadaab camps, which were originally designed to accommodate a total of 90,000 people.

"After more than 20 years of war, Somali refugees have become a true global population. The majority are here in Kenya and in Djibouti, Yemen and Ethiopia but Somalis have sought refuge in countries on all five continents," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.

"As the war continues unabated, I appeal to all countries in the world to keep their borders open and to allow them to live in dignity," he added.

He appealed to the Kenyan Government to allow the completion of an additional refugee residential area in Dadaab known as "Ifo II."

"On Sunday I met Somali women and children who have fled conflict and arrived traumatised and suffering from malnutrition," said Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP). "It is vital that we as United Nations agencies are here to protect them and provide the food and shelter they need as refugees in Dadaab."

The high concentration of refugees in an already harsh environment has had a negative impact on the camp surroundings. The UN and other groups are working with villagers from surrounding areas to find sustainable local solutions such as water and soil conservation.

To avoid the surrounding land being stripped bear in the search for firewood, humanitarian agencies have given refugees energy-saving stoves that use less fuel.
Poor hygiene and sanitation as a result of congestion in the camps exposes refugees to health hazards and security threats. In some cases, one toilet is shared by about 300 people.

Women and children are particularly vulnerable even when they reach the Dadaab camps.

"In addition to having to flee from their homes, women are exposed to sexual violence. We must continue to do our utmost to protect girls and women, while also supporting their contribution as productive community members," said Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director for UN Women.

Amid rising tension in the camps because of overcrowding, UN agencies are alert to the possibility of an influx of more refugees from neighbouring countries and the potential impact this could have on regional security.

Source: http://www.sify.com/news/un-concern-over-poor-camp-conditions-for-somali-refugees-news-international-lefl0Ieefeh.html

Woman, Toddler Die of Hunger

Jowhar — Woman and toddlers are reported to have died of hunger, starvation and thirst in southern Somalia as the country is in a state of drought.

In Middle Shabelle region, at least one child and old woman died after facing severe acute hunger and thirst conditions in the Maha- Sa'id.

Some of the local residents in that village, who asked heir name not be used in the media told Shabelle that the people in those areas live in very poor and desperate conditions.

They said that if humanitarian assistance delivered to those people who were affected by the drought urgently, they may die of hunger.

Inhabitants in Middle Shabelle region called for the aid agencies and rich Somali people to act quickly to help Somalia's drought affected people as soon as possible.

source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201104050068.html