NAIROBI — A cholera outbreak has affected 2,786 people in Kenya’s Dadaab Refugee camp, home to over 300,000 refugees, most from neighboring Somalia. At a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday morning, Doctors without Borders (MSF) warned of a looming health catastrophe in the camp if the situation persists. Two …
Read More »Qatar affirms continuation of humanitarian support for Horn of Africa
NEW YORK — The State of Qatar affirmed that it will continue its humanitarian support for the Horn of Africa, calling on the international community to learn from previous experiences in facing major challenges and crises around the world, and to unify multilateral action, in order to face international challenges …
Read More »UN gets $2.4 B in pledges for Horn of Africa aid efforts
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations received pledges of $2.4 billion on Wednesday to help fund aid operations for some 32 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, but the donations fell short of what the U.N. was seeking as it warned against a possible “catastrophe.” The U.N. has appealed …
Read More »Aid agencies: Over 1 M are internally displaced in Somalia in four months
MOGADISHU — Severe drought, recurrent conflict and devastating floods have forced more than 1 million people in Somalia to flee their homes in just 130 days, two aid agencies said Wednesday. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said the record rate of displacement in …
Read More »Kenya’s radical solution to age-old refugee problem
NAIROBI — Kenya’s two biggest refugee camps could be transformed into new permanent urban centres in a move to relieve Nairobi of the security burden while sustaining its humanitarian obligations. The changeover, expected to be in effect within five years, will mean all the refugees currently hosted in Dadaab and …
Read More »UN, partners launch Somalia flood response plan
MOGADISHU — Following devastating rains in Somalia, UN humanitarians said on Monday they are launching a national flood preparedness and response plan with the authorities. “According to early estimates by our partners, more than 460,000 people have been affected, including nearly 219,000 people who have been displaced,” the UN Office …
Read More »UN reports extensive flooding damage in Somalia
MOGADISHU — Floods caused by the annual rains have left “a trail of destruction“ across Somalia, a United Nations spokesman said, citing inundated homes and farmland as well as the shutdown of health facilities. “According to early estimates by our partners, more than 460,000 people have been impacted, including nearly …
Read More »Flooding in Somalia displaces 200,000 people
BELEDWEYNE — Around 200,000 people have been displaced due to flash flooding in central Somalia, a regional official told AFP Saturday, as the Shabelle River burst its banks and submerged roads. Inhabitants of Beledweyne town in the Hiiraan region were forced out of their homes as heavy rainfall caused water …
Read More »New settlement brings hope to Somali refugees fleeing conflict
MIRQAAN, Ethiopia — Hinda Mahdi and her children flinch as the bus door slams shut behind them. They are the last family to board for the ride to Mirqaan, a new settlement in Ethiopia’s Somali region, allocated to house Somali refugees fleeing violence back home. The slamming door momentarily takes …
Read More »DPM launches development coordination forum in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU — The Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, Salah Jama, today launched the Development Coordination Forum, which brings together Somalia’s government and development partners. The Forum, hosted by the Ministry of Planning, Finance, and Economic Development, discussed a new partnership that will unite the Somali government …
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Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs The Voice of Reality.. The Eye of Humanitarian Truth in Somalia