HC

MOGADISHU (SOHA) – Somalia’s first prosecution for female genital mutilation (FGM) following the death of a 10-year-old girl has run into problems because her parents will not help investigators locate the cutter, an activist said on Thursday. The case highlights the difficulties of ending the ancient tradition in Somalia, which has …

BAIDOA (SOHA) – Speaking in regional Somalia today, the top United Nations official for gender equality and women’s empowerment highlighted efforts made at the national and local levels towards greater representation of women in political structures and processes, and encouraged further progress in this area. “I am here to strengthen …

MOGADISHU (SOHA) – As the international community marked the World Humanitarian Day today, a senior United Nations official warned of the grave threats faced by aid workers in Somalia, where they continue to be targets of armed groups which often abduct and detain them and steal desperately needed relief supplies. “As …

Young people in conflict areas who have accessed secondary education are almost half likely to support violent groups than those who have no access to education. A new study by the global organization Mercy Corps has revealed that increasing access to high school education in war zones could help diminish …

MANDERA (SOHA) – Mandera is prone to outbreaks of chikungunya, cholera, dengue fever and polio because of proximity to Somalia and the nomadic lifestyle of residents. Health executive Mohamud Aden on Monday said uncontrolled cross-border movement has led to spread of diseases from neighbouring Ethiopia and Somalia where there are …

MOGADISHU (SOHA) – Favorable weather conditions experienced during the main (Gu) rainy season combined with a large-scale humanitarian assistance have improved the food security situation in Somalia, the UN said on Tuesday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the April-June rains started earlier than normal …

MOGADISHU (SOHA) – Somali-American supermodel Halima Aden, an ambassador for UNICEF, is using her voice to advocate for children’s rights. The former child refugee, who came to the United States during the Somali Civil War in the early 1990s, shared a video on her social media account on the subject …

JEDDAH (SOHA) –  Close to 30,000 sheep and goats from Somalia were turned back after health authorities in Saudi Arabia detected Rift Valley Fever disease, the Gulf nation has said defending its move to reject the animals barely a month after it lifted the two year ban. A statement from …

NAIROBI (SOHA) – “It would have been an easier option to stay in Nairobi, practise law and earn some good money, drive a cool Mercedes-Benz. But I just wanted to come back home.” That was the life that Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan could have lived in Kenya’s capital. Instead she chose …

On Thursday evening, Bilai Aden sat on her hotel bed, rocking her 10-month-old baby. The baby’s face was covered in a black hood and blanket, but Bilai would occasionally lift the fabric and peer inside. Baby Misky’s face, full of scars and dead skin, would be revealed. What was more …