NEWS

MOGADISHU — The European Union Wednesday launched a humanitarian air bridge, airlifting emergency supplies to Somalia’s hard-to-reach areas. The EU said it will be a major logistics operation, with an estimated 50 to 70 flights needed to deliver essential food supplies. “We are organizing a series of flights that will …

MOGADISHU — Armed with mobile phones, tripods and laptops, the crew at Bilan Media, a Somali start-up staffed entirely by women, is on a mission to break the silence around gender violence in the troubled Horn of Africa nation. A rarity in the conservative predominantly Muslim country, Bilan (meaning “beauty” …

ANKARA —  Turkish President Recep Erdogan met on Wednesday with his visiting Somalian counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the capital Ankara to discuss regional security and humanitarian aid to the African country. In a joint press conference after their meeting, the Turkish president stressed the importance of Somalia’s stability and …

NAIROBI — Members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional bloc that includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, met Tuesday in Nairobi to discuss humanitarian, political, and security issues in the region. The humanitarian situation that has made more than 23 million people in …

KISMAYO — The special envoy of the Somali president for Humanitarian Affairs and Drought, Abdul Rahman Abdul Shakour, accompanied by Qatar’s ambassador to Somalia, Hassan bin Hamza Hashem, officials from Qatar Charity (QC) and members of the National Committee of Somalia visited Bartiri – Jubbaland State – which is one …

MOGADISHU — A wildfire in the Gaacidh forest in the eastern Sanaag region of Somaliland in Somalia is burning from an undetermined cause, authorities said Tuesday. The fire in the forest that is described as one of the most beautiful in the region and home to unique trees and dozens of …

MOGADISHU —  At least 500 children have died this year of malnutrition as Somalia deals with record-breaking drought, the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said. UNICEF Somalia says the death toll is just the “tip of the iceberg” as many deaths go unreported. UNICEF Somalia spokesman Victor Chinyama told VOA the …

MOGADISHU —  Overlooked due to the war in Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and the conflict in neighboring Ethiopia, Somalia is dealing with one of its worst droughts in four decades. Nearly a million people have left their homes in search of food, water, and humanitarian assistance in towns …

ADDIS ABABA — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday appealed for 42.6 million U.S. dollars life-saving aid to help millions affected by the catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa (HOA). The UN Refugee Agency, in a statement issued Tuesday, said the funding will deliver life-saving …

MOGADISHU — A devastating drought weighing on Somalia’s economy is poised to push inflation close to 10%, the highest level in more than 15 years, by the end of the year, according to central bank Governor Abdirahman Abdullahi. The Horn of Africa nation is experiencing its worst drought in four …