Humanitarian Crisis in Mogadishu
Somalia Country File:
Population: 9,558,666
Life Expectation: 49
GDP per capita: $600
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Environmental Problems: Famine, Deforestation, Unclean Water Supplies
Somalia faces many problems with famine and supplying clean water. There are many disease, like malaria and HIV/Aids. The people have a low life expectancy due to the widespread diseases and the famine. People do not have much food to survive and some do not have any at all. It is a poor country and the Government has very little money to help the people. There are also very few skilled workers. There are also very few jobs and the unemployment is high.
Somalia is a country that is Africa’s worst Humanitarian Crisis. There has been lots of crime and lawlessness since the military Government Collapsed in 1991. The UN says that almost 1 million people have become refugees. Government Forces had defeated the Islamic militia, who controlled much of the country, in 2006. A new government is being suggested by the UN since the new leader of the country has not been able to keep it under control. There are many Islamist insurgents operating in the country, making it a very dangerous place to live.. There are many refugees who have fled from the capital Mogadishu because of the fighting going on between Government Forces and Islamic insurgents of the regime. Refugees live in tents made from twigs and scraps of cloth.
Recently, Islamist insurgents and Clans have been attacking the Somali transitional Government and the Ethiopian Army. Insurgents have been taking over towns and forcing people living in cities like Mogadishu to take refuge outside. A clan called “al-Shabab” (meaning “The Youth”) have been recently attacking many government forces within Mogadishu and stealing weapons. The clan does not speak to many journalists, but one member agreed to an interview with a BBC Reporter.
The Clan Member in the report says:
“There are al-Shabab fighters in all parts of the country. I don’t want to talk in numbers. But when the Ethiopian troops first arrived we were already strong. Now we have even more power because of the support of people everywhere.”
Taken from a BBC Report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7365047.stm
The Al-Shabab is a group of young Islamists who have been fighting around Mogadishu. They have just been recently put on the US’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. Many allegations have been made against many clans in Mogadishu. The allegations are that they have been organizing with al-Qaeda. The Islamist Insurgents are considered as terrorists, but only ones that operate in Mogadishu. Now they are becoming a threat to many other surrounding nations and overseas countries. The Alliance of the Liberation of Somalia are the main opposition for the Islamist Insurgents.
On Wednesday, 24 September, at least 18,000 people fled the city of Mogadishu. The BBC reports that at least 45 people have been reported dead, while many others have been missing. Islamist Insurgents have been taking over much of the city. AU Peacekeepers and many Insurgents have been fighting against each other since Monday. “We could no longer watch the shocking incidents and what happened to our neighbours, who were either killed or injured, my children could not bear the shelling, that is why I have decided to escape,” a mother of five. An elderly man said: “I have escaped from my house because throughout last night artillery shells had been pounding on us.” The people who have taken refuge y are poor and cannot afford to send their children to school. They cannot afford any decent health services. Some children are forced to beg for money. It has been recorded that over 20,000 people flee the city of Mogadishu every month.
Apart from all the violence that has been going on in the city and all the people living in Refugee camps, there has also been violence against aid workers in Somalia. Gunmen have shot three elders today that have been giving out aid to a refugee camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu. I think the violence in Somalia is not helping to develop the country, especially in Mogadishu, where there is a lot of conflict. The reason is because the country is not lowering the unemployment rate, and not much is being done about the education, healthcare and food supplies. More people are evacuating the city and are suffering outside the city, where there are no schools, not much healthcare, and a lot of poverty. Somalia is known to be one of the most ignored problems in the world. Mogadishu has already become a scary place where there are no longer people on the streets. People are killed every day, whether it is from handing out aid, or being caught in shell fire in a market (20 people reported dead in this incident, 86 “missing”, or their bodies have just not been found).
There have been many things that have been done to resolve the Conflict in Mogadishu. 1,600 Ugandan AU Peacekeepers have been in the city, while another 800 camp on the Outskirts. Solutions to the problem have already been suggested. It has been suggested by the UN that the government should negotiate with the Insurgents and resolve the problem. This has been suggested, but many people of Somalia do not think that the Insurgents would come to an agreement with the power share of the country. My opinion is that if other countries around the world take this problem seriously, then they could step in and do something. Some newspapers like to call it the “New Afghanistan”. Countries could provide more aid and do something about the conflict. If the conflict is not resolved, then Somalia could become a threat to other nations around the Globe.
