On the eve of World Refugee Day, the acting head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Ken Cuccinelli, emailed asylum officers lamenting the country’s “abused” asylum system and calling on them to help “stem the crisis and better secure the homeland.” The message to get in line and deny more asylum …

GAROWE (SoOHA) –  HE Minister of Education and Higher Education in the State of Puntland in Somalia Abdullah Mohammed Hassan inaugurated the Dar es Salaam Primary School, which was built by Qatar Charity (QC) in the city of Garowe, funded by the good people of Qatar. The 400-square-meter school has …

GENEVA (SoOHA) –  The number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million in 2018. This is the highest level that UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has seen in its almost 70 years. Data from UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report, released today, shows that almost 70.8 million people are …

MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided 185 million dollars in humanitarian assistance to help Somali people facing acute food shortage. USAID administrator Mark Green said in a statement issued on Monday evening that the funds will address food insecurity and acute malnutrition, and deliver safe …

MARKA (SoOHA) – Fadumo Mohamed Adan’s hope of a good harvest has been dashed after all the seeds she planted were eaten by birds. She planted maize on her farm in Tulo-sagal village outside Afgoye town, Lower Shabelle region, in early June. “I invested $450 in the farm. I hired …

MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – The Somali government has said there is no danger over the outbreak of Ebola virus in the country. A Statement from the Ministry of Health and Social Services called for calm saying the situation is under control. “The is no Ebola virus threat currently in the country.” …

MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – The federal Minister of Justice and Judiciary Affairs, Hassan Hussein Haji, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to strengthen child protection legislation during an event held in the Somali capital to commemorate the Day of the African Child. Minister Haji enumerated a series of steps taken by Somalia over …

GAROWE (SoOHA) – A newly built dam in northern Somalia’s drought-ravaged Nugal region is giving a reprieve to thousands of families who have lived through perennial water shortages. The dam, with a capacity equivalent to 120,000 barrels, was opened last month by Puntland’s ministry of water in Salahley village in …

TELEH (SoOHA) – Pastoralists and farmers in Teleh, in northern Somalia’s Sool region, are increasingly worried about an invasive parasite tree that is threatening their livelihoods. Prosopis juliflora tree, locally know as Ali-Garoob, is an invasive and drought-resistant weed that been spreading uncontrollably for the past three years. It has …

As Somalia experienced a failure of the initial portion of the Gu’ rains that are crucial for agricultural production, aid agencies have launched a Drought Response Plan calling for urgent and sustained resources to avert a major crisis. The plan seeks $710 million to provide critical life-saving aid to 4.5 …