NAIROBI — Kenya on Wednesday ordered the closure of two sprawling camps that host hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring Somalia and gave the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) two weeks to present a plan to do so, the interior ministry said. The Dadaab and the Kakuma refugee camps in …
Read More »IOM relocates nearly 7,000 IDPs facing eviction in Baidoa
BAIDOA — The UN migration agency said Tuesday it has relocated nearly 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were facing eviction from their homes in Somalia. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the IDPs were relocated on Sunday to Barwaaqo, a new site for IDPs, in the South West …
Read More »UN: 1.3M people displaced in Somalia in 2020
MOGADISHU — The UN office for humanitarian affairs Thursday said about 1.3 million people were displaced in Somalia in 2020. “Out of a total of 2.9 million IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] in the country, 1.6 million are most vulnerable and will require humanitarian assistance in 2021,” the United Nations Office for …
Read More »UN: Forced displacement tops 80 million at mid-2020
GENEVA — A report by the UN refugee agency estimated that global forced displacement surpassed 80 million at mid-year, noting that the full picture for 2020 is not yet established. “With forced displacement doubling in the last decade, the international community is failing to safeguard peace,” said Filippo Grandi, the …
Read More »Somali refugees return resumes after suspension over COVID-19 outbreak
MOGADISHU — The first batch of Somali returnees from Dadaab camp in Kenya since the outbreak of COVID-19 arrived in Mogadishu today. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR said Saturday the first group of 42 individuals landed in Mogadishu as part of the voluntary repatriation programme. ‘After months of suspension due to …
Read More »UN says floods affect 214,000 in Somalia since October
MOGADISHU — At least 214,000 people have been temporarily displaced from their homes across Somalia since October due to flooding caused by heavy rains, the UN agency said on Monday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest Floods Update that displacements have occurred …
Read More »AMISOM extends support to IDPs in Beledweyne
BELEDWEYNE — The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has handed over Personal Protective Equipment and sanitary supplies to the administration of the Hiran region in Beledweyne district. The donation will support efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in about thirty camps for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in the …
Read More »OCHA: Nearly 60,000 Somalis displaced by conflict, floods
MOGADISHU — The UN humanitarian agency said Thursday nearly 60,000 people were displaced in Somalia due to floods, conflict, and drought ravaging parts of the country in August. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 43,000 people were displaced by floods mostly in the …
Read More »UN migration to open response center in Somalia for vulnerable migrants
MOGADISHU — The UN migration agency said on Friday a new Migration Response Centre (MRC) to cater to the needs of vulnerable migrants returning to Somalia is due to open its doors in Mogadishu. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it has handed over the facility to the Banadir …
Read More »AMISOM donates non-food items to IDPs in Beletweyne
BELETWEYNE — The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Tuesday donated non-food items, to help Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by recent floods in Beletweyne district, HirShabelle State of Somalia. The items, which included blankets, basins, mosquito nets and tarpaulins, were donated by Djiboutian and Ethiopian forces serving under …
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Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs The Voice of Reality.. The Eye of Humanitarian Truth in Somalia