MOGADISHU — In makeshift metal homes in a camp in Mogadishu, women wrapped in brightly patterned scarves are making savory pastries and mixing flour for flatbreads. They are preparing iftar, the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during Ramadan, which this year falls in the middle of a global …
Read More »One of the world’s largest refugee camps is placed on lockdown
NAIROBI — Kenya put one of the world’s largest refugee camps under lockdown, even as humanitarian agencies warned there’s no infrastructure in place to deal with a potential outbreak of the coronavirus. All movement in and out of Dadaab, home to more than 220,000 people living in rickety, makeshift housing, …
Read More »Greek asylum ministry: Pregnant Somali asylum seeker tests positive for COVID-19
ATHENS — A 28-year-old pregnant asylum seeker from Somalia has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Migration and Asylum Ministry announced on Monday. The woman, who is six months pregnant, lives at a reception facility in Kranidi in the Peloponnese. She tested positive for the coronavirus at Nafplio hospital on …
Read More »Ethiopia secures £24m UK grant to support refugees
ADDIS ABABA — The grant agreement was signed on Tuesday by Admasu Nebebe, State Minister of Finance and Dr. Christian Rogg, Head of UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) in Ethiopia in a virtual authorization ceremony. The grant will be used for a project strengthening the economies of host and …
Read More »UNHCR welcomes new Japanese funding to support its efforts in Somalia
MOGADISHU — UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency welcomes a USD 1.7 million grant from the government of Japan in support of its humanitarian efforts in Somalia. Japan’s latest funding will provide UNHCR with critical funds to deliver services to a total of 15,500 displaced people including refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, …
Read More »Aid agency warns of devastating effects of COVID-19 on refugees
NAIROBI — As the world race against time to stop the spread of the deadly Coronavirus that is fast spreading across the world, a humanitarian agency has warned that the virus has potentially devastating effects on refugees. Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council says that the world …
Read More »UNHCR welcomes Somalia’s move to protect IDPs
MOGADISHU — The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has welcomed Somalia’s official deposit of the instruments of ratification of the African Union Convention for the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the AU Commission in Ethiopia. Johann Siffointe, UNHCR Somalia representative, said the latest move shows the progress made by …
Read More »UNHCR seeks durable solutions for Somali IDPs
MOGADISHU — The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Tuesday it is working closely with the Somali government and other stakeholders to find durable solutions for Somalis displaced by insecurity and natural disasters. Mohamed Affey, UNHCR special envoy for the Horn of Africa, and Johann Siffointe, UNHCR Somalia representative, visited Wabishabele …
Read More »UN official visits Hargeisa, calls for durable solutions for displacement
HARGEISA — To reach the Naasa Hablod camp, one must walk on a rough and narrow path, trimmed with thick layers of cactus bushes. The camp of 521 households sits on the edges of the city of Hargeisa and is home to 3,096 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Sixty-five percent of …
Read More »Displaced families in Somalia now hit by floods
MOGADISHU — “I have never seen something like this the whole of my life,” laments 65-year-old Marian.* Marian lives in a camp for displaced people in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. She has lived in the camp since 2016 when she and her family fled the war in a neighbouring …
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Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs The Voice of Reality.. The Eye of Humanitarian Truth in Somalia