PLATFORMS

BAIDOA (SoOHA) – Thousands of displaced families in the southern Somali city of Baidoa have received plots of land on which to build their own homes, ending years of poor living and anxiety over possible eviction. Baidoa District Commissioner, Abdillahi Ali Watin, said 7,000 families from 54 camps in the …

MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday welcomed its new resident representative for its country program in Somalia, Jocelyn Mason, to Mogadishu. Mason is joining UNDP Somalia from UNDP Afghanistan where he was acting resident representative for the Afghanistan Country Office. “He will lead the UNDP country …

DOHA (SoOHA) – Qatar Charity (QC) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, launched the largest humanitarian relief initiative entitled ‘For Humanity (4H)’ to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable refugees across the globe. The 4H campaign aims to reach out to more than 300,000 refugees and displaced persons in Yemen, Syria, …

BAIDOA (SoOHA) – In our continuing series on life in IDP camps across Somalia, Radio Ergo visited a displaced people’s camp in Baidoa. Hanano One camp is one of the oldest camps in the region and has become home to many who have raised their families there and do not …

NAIROBI (SoOHA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ruled out ransom negotiations with Al Shabaab militants in Somalia to secure the release of two Cuban doctors abducted from Mandera in April. Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma however said an operation was ongoing to rescue the two doctors. “We believe that …

The decision to close Kenya’s largest refugee camp – home to almost a quarter of a million people – is raising difficult questions, says Mollie Gerver. Dadaab refugee camp, in eastern Kenya, was established almost 30 years ago. It currently hosts around half of the country’s refugees – 230,000 of …

LONDON (SoOHA) – A record 41.3 million people were uprooted within their own countries last year due to conflicts and violence, data showed on Friday, with two-thirds displaced in just 10 countries including Syria, Colombia and Somalia. The increase in internally displaced people (IDPs) – which was 1 million higher …

GENEVA (SoOHA)  – Today is World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, a time to celebrate the bravery and achievements of our volunteers and staff around the world, whose life-saving and life-changing services ensure that we keep our commitment to humanity every day. One in 65 people in the world is helped …

MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – The UN migration agency said Friday it plans to relocate some 24,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) at risk of eviction to public sites in Baidoa, southwestern Somalia. International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the regional South-West State has provided public land to humanitarian partners for development and …

HARGEISA (SoOHA) – Osman Botan Mohamud, 49, a father of eight, has just returned home after receiving 15 goats from the Drought Response Committee in Somaliland to replace his losses in last year’s tropical cyclone. He is one of 600 people in Salal, Awdal, Gabiley, and Saahil who lost their …