NEW YORK — In a significant diplomatic move, the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, HE Hamza Abdi Barre, engaged in crucial discussions with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere, aimed …
Read More »SoDMA releases emergency preparedness review to alleviate disaster risks
MOGADISHU — The Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) has published the findings of an emergency preparedness and response (EP&R) capacity assessment aimed at assessing the country’s ability to withstand natural hazards and humanitarian crises. The study, conducted by the Federal Government of Somalia in collaboration with the World Bank, evaluated …
Read More »Somalia bans resale of aid after alleged theft of EU funds through WFP
MOGADISHU — Somalia banned the trading of humanitarian aid stuff in a black market following the suspension of EU funds through the UN Food Agency [WFP] over theft. The announcement was made in a press release jointly issued by the National Disaster Management Agency, the Ministries of Relief of the Federal …
Read More »MoECC: El Nino threatens southern Somalia as rainy season approaches
MOGADISHU — The Somali Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) warned on Thursday that El Nino will likely occur in the southern part of the country due to the expected rainy season. The ministry has urged aid agencies in Somalia to closely monitor and prepare for potential flood-related consequences …
Read More »EU temporarily holds back food aid in Somalia after UN finds widespread theft
UNITED NATIONS/NAIROBI/GENEVA — The European Union executive has temporarily suspended funding for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia, two senior EU officials told Reuters on Monday, after a U.N. investigation found widespread theft and misuse of aid meant to avert famine. The European Commission gave more than $7 million …
Read More »Global charity urges donors to prevent acute malnutrition crisis in Somalia
MOGADISHU — The global charity Save the Children has called upon the international community to avert the impending acute malnutrition crisis in Somalia. The charity said that, despite initial hopes that rainfall would provide relief, approximately two out of every five children under the age of five in Somalia are …
Read More »Aid groups: 1 in 4 Somalis face hunger due to hostile weather and conflicts
MOGADISHU — One in four Somalis, or 4.3 million people, face hunger and need urgent assistance due to hostile weather events and other conflicts, the UN and other humanitarian groups operating in the Horn of Africa country said on Monday. In a statement, the aid groups, including World Food Programme, …
Read More »UN offers opportunity for paradigm shift in humanitarian sector in Somalia
MOGADISHU — The Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) reaffirms the Somali government’s commitment to investigate the findings of a recent internal United Nations’ report on incidences of possible aid diversion. The UN and the Federal Government of Somalia have established a joint taskforce that will develop a collective strategy to …
Read More »Somalia takes lessons from frequent drought
MOGADISHU — Somalia may have been pummelled by drought for five straight seasons, but officials in Mogadishu say the people here won’t give up yet. And Khadija Mohamed Almakhzoumi, the Federal Minister for Environment and Climate Change said this week the three-year dry weather, sometimes punctuated with sudden floods, has …
Read More »China calls for lifting of unilateral sanctions to improve humanitarian work
UNITED NATIONS — A Chinese envoy on Thursday called for the lifting of illegal unilateral sanctions so as to improve international humanitarian work. It is worth noting that illegal unilateral sanctions severely affect the ability of the public sector of the countries concerned to provide basic services such as education …
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Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs The Voice of Reality.. The Eye of Humanitarian Truth in Somalia