BURAO (SOHA) – Over 40 cases of whooping cough (also known as pertussis) have been reported in Odanle village, 180 km south of Burao, Togdher region, in November. Suleiman Hassan Abdi, an official from Somaliland’s health ministry, confirmed the outbreak of the respiratory infection. “Families including adult and children have …
Read More »U.N. reaffirms refugees’ right to seek asylum in U.S.
GENEVA (SOHA) – Asylum seekers at the Mexican border fleeing violence or persecution are entitled to lodge claims in the United States to obtain sanctuary there, U.N. agencies said in a fresh attempt to shield migrants from tough U.S. immigration policies. United Nations officials have repeatedly urged Washington to ensure …
Read More »Burtinle residents welcome clean piped water in the dry northern Somali town
BURTINLE (SOHA) – After many years of relying on scarce rainwater, residents of Burtinle town in northern Somalia’s Nugal region are happy to have access to clean piped water. Water from three wells drilled at a cost of $2million started reaching 7,000 households in Burtinle in October. Burtinle has suffered …
Read More »Berbera: Education campaign bears fruit as pastoralists send children to school
BERBERA (SOHA) – When the brand new school built in Magalo-ad village, six km from the Somaliland port of Berbera, finally opened its doors in September, there were just 36 children occupying the eight-classroom building. Built by the international charity SOS Children’s Villages and run by the Somaliland government, the school …
Read More »Puntland unveils reconstruction project for old port in country’s north
BOSSASO (SOHA) – Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Friday unveiled a $40 million project for a rickety port’s reconstruction plan aimed at benefiting communities in the country’s northeastern part amid a new battle for foreign investment projects in the region stirred by UAE’s port investment in the neighboring breakaway territory of …
Read More »St. Cloud City Council changes may reopen refugee resettlement debate
NAIROBI (SOHA) – The divisive debate over a federal refugee program will likely resurface next year in St. Cloud as two new members elected Nov. 6 join the City Council. Paul Brandmire and Mike Conway will be sworn in Jan. 7 for four-year terms, and both say they will push …
Read More »Ruto: 300,000 Somali refugees repatriated from Kenya since 2014
NAIROBI (SOHA) – Kenya has repatriated 300,000 refugees to Somalia under the Safe Voluntary Return programme since December 2014, Deputy President William Ruto has said. The government is partnering with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the programme. The UNHCR, Kenya and Somalia signed a tripartite agreement on …
Read More »Feature: China trained Somali graduates return home to aid recovery
MOGADISHU (SOHA) – Somali youth are on the frontline of promoting recovery in the strife-torn Horn of African nation after pursuing higher education in foreign countries, including China. Hundreds of Somali youth have undergone university education in China either through scholarships or through self-sponsorship in recent years. These graduates are …
Read More »IGAD states shelve interests, seek common water resource protocol
NAIROBI (SOHA) – IGAD member states have shelved their national interests by pledging to work on a framework to guide how trans-boundary water resources will be used. Trans-boundary water resources have been an issue between Kenya and some countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Egypt, a move that has threatened …
Read More »Somali refugees in Dhagahley camp hit by medical strike
DADAAB (SOHA) – Thousands of Somali refugees in Dhagahley camp in Dadaab, northeastern Kenya, are bearing the brunt of weeks of a doctors’ pay strike. Health services have been paralysed in three health centres in the camp after 426 health practitioners including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and interns went on …
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Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs The Voice of Reality.. The Eye of Humanitarian Truth in Somalia