horn-of-africa
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KENYA-SOMALIA: Life on the margins of Dadaab
DADAAB 15 May 2012 (IRIN) - For new arrivals to the world’s largest refugee complex, in eastern Kenya, life is particularly difficult.IRIN | 15-May-2012 02:00
FOOD: Power to the people!
JOHANNESBURG 15 May 2012 (IRIN) - The UN Development Programme (UNDP) launched its first Africa Human Development Report today, stressing food security as a means to a better quality of life for all.irinnews.org | 15-May-2012 02:00
SOMALIA: Hundreds of Somalis complete military training
IBANDA 14 May 2012 (IRIN) - Over 600 Somali troops completed six months of military training in southwestern Uganda on 10 May and are heading home to boost the forces fighting Al Shabab.irinnews.org | 14-May-2012 02:00
SECURITY: A quick reaction force moulded by Africa's circumstances
JOHANNESBURG 09 May 2012 (IRIN) - Africa’s crises are both honing and stalling the formation of the African Standby Force (ASF) of the African Union (AU) - a quick reaction force that could eventually number about 30,000 troops to be deployed in a range of scenarios, from peacekeeping to direct military interventionirinnews.org | 09-May-2012 02:00
ETHIOPIA: Still too many deaths in childbirth
ADDIS ABABA 25 April 2012 (IRIN) - A lack of awareness of the importance of skilled hospital deliveries in Ethiopia, cultural beliefs, and transport challenges in rural areas are causing a high number of deaths during childbirth, say officials.irinnews.org | 25-Apr-2012 02:00
SECURITY: Suspending diplomacy in the interests of conversation
BAHIR DAR 19 April 2012 (IRIN) - On the surface it had all the trappings of a gathering of current and former heads of state: Legions of presidential bodyguards speaking into their sleeves, electronic security at every entrance, rooftop snipers, road closures and a small army of waiters serving snacks and coffee on the banks of Ethiopia’s Lake Tana.irinnews.org | 19-Apr-2012 02:00
SOMALIA: Burkas to tracksuits
MOGADISHU, 17 April 2012 (IRIN) - The Somali Athletics Federation will select one female runner from a field of 10 to compete in the 400-metres at this year's London Olympics. The youngest of those currently training in Mogadishu is Najma, 10. She started running six months ago, shortly after Al-Shabab left the city. “My father encouraged me,” said Najma.IRIN | 17-Apr-2012 02:00
HORN OF AFRICA: Greater food insecurity forecast
NAIROBI 05 April 2012 (IRIN) - Food insecurity in the eastern Horn of Africa is expected to worsen as a result of less rain than previously forecast falling in the key March-to-May season.irinnews.org | 05-Apr-2012 02:00
AID POLICY: Humanitarianism in a changing world
DUBAI 04 April 2012 (IRIN) - There is “worrying evidence” that the scale and scope of disasters will increase significantly in coming years and “the international community is not prepared,” says Ross Mountain, director-general of Development Assistance Research Associates (DARA), a Madrid-based think-tank which advocates better humanitarian policies.irinnews.org | 04-Apr-2012 02:00
SOMALIA: Drought affecting thousands in Somaliland
HARGEISA 30 March 2012 (IRIN) - Officials in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, are appealing for food aid and potable water for thousands of families who have lost their livelihoods in the current drought.IRIN | 30-Mar-2012 02:00
ETHIOPIA: Late rains threaten food security
ADDIS ABABA 30 March 2012 (IRIN) - Late and erratic mid-February to May (`Belg') rains could significantly reduce crop yields in central and southern Ethiopia and adversely affect food security, warn officials.IRIN | 30-Mar-2012 02:00
SOMALIA: Border town in a fix over water
HARGEISA 27 March 2012 (IRIN) - Water scarcity in Tog-Wajale, a town straddling the border between northwest Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland and Ethiopia, is threatening the health and livelihoods of locals who cannot afford to buy it.IRIN | 27-Mar-2012 02:00
ETHIOPIA: New HIV policy focuses on HIV in the workplace
ADDIS ABABA 26 March 2012 (IRIN) - The government has teamed up with Ethiopia's main employees' and employers' associations to launch a new HIV/AIDS workplace policy that is to be implemented across the nation.IRIN | 26-Mar-2012 02:00
SOMALIA: Hargeisa stall demolitions infuriate traders
HARGEISA 26 March 2012 (IRIN) - Thousands of traders in Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, are incensed at having their businesses demolished in a city beautification drive, and some fear the move could lead to a crime wave.IRIN | 26-Mar-2012 02:00
KENYA-SOMALIA: “I never regret being in Dadaab”
DADAAB 23 March 2012 (IRIN) - IRIN's freelance journalist Moulid Iftin Hujale, in this third installment of his account of life in the Dadaab refugee complex in eastern Kenya, reflects on his hope of returning to his homeland, Somalia, to help rebuild the country amid heightening insecurity in the Dadaab camps.IRIN | 23-Mar-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Thousands displaced by fighting in Gedo
NAIROBI 15 March 2012 (IRIN) - Several thousand people have been displaced by clashes between Al-Shabab insurgents and Somali troops assisted by Ethiopian and Kenyan soldiers in Somalia's southwestern Gedo region, locals told IRIN.irinnews.org | 15-Mar-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Diaspora for development
LONDON 09 March 2012 (IRIN) - Somalis living abroad send home more than US$1 billion - perhaps even as much as $2 billion - every year, and they have kept on doing so, despite bureaucratic obstacles. Now a report commissioned by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) considers how the outside world can help Somalis abroad contribute to the country’s development.irinnews.org | 09-Mar-2012 01:00
ETHIOPIA: Finding space for people with disabilities on HIV agenda
ADDIS ABABA 08 March 2012 (IRIN) - Ethiopians with disabilities say they have been largely excluded from the government's national HIV programmes and are unable to access services.irinnews.org | 08-Mar-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Benefits - and risks - of Puntland oil
NAIROBI 08 March 2012 (IRIN) - The recent discovery of oil deposits in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, could improve its population's livelihoods as long as it is handled properly, officials and locals told IRIN.irinnews.org | 08-Mar-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Mogadishu terror continues, despite Al-Shabab "withdrawal"
NAIROBI 01 March 2012 (IRIN) - Although Al-Shabab insurgents announced their withdrawal from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011, insecurity in the city has continued, as evidenced by the targeted killing of a journalist and a bomb blast in the past week.irinnews.org | 01-Mar-2012 01:00
HORN OF AFRICA: Drought warning prompts call for early action
KIGALI 29 February 2012 (IRIN) - Drought is likely to return to Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa over the next three months, say regional climate scientists meeting in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. The forecast comes just weeks after the UN declared the Somali “famine” over.irinnews.org | 29-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Thousands flee to Mogadishu after Afgoye fighting
NAIROBI 28 February 2012 (IRIN) - A renewed offensive against Al-Shabab insurgents by Somali government forces, backed by Ethiopian, Kenyan and African Union troops, has sparked another influx of civilians to the capital Mogadishu, locals told IRIN.IRIN | 28-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Military emphasis at conference “puts more civilians at risk”
LONDON 24 February 2012 (IRIN) - The London Conference on Somalia ended with a seven-point plan aimed at boosting humanitarian aid and support for African Union troops, and tougher action on piracy, but “fell short on the measures required to address the risks faced by civilians”, said Amnesty International.irinnews.org | 24-Feb-2012 01:00
Briefing: Somalia's political roadmap
NAIROBI 22 February 2012 (IRIN) - In August, Somalia faces constitutional limbo if the key provisions of a political "roadmap" agreed in September 2011, and one of the topics of this week's conference in London, are not met.irinnews.org | 22-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Could London Conference mark a turning point on road to peace?
LONDON/NAIROBI 21 February 2012 (IRIN) - World attention is on the war-torn Horn of Africa nation once more, with analysts saying the London Conference on 23 February could mark a turning point in the country's quest for peace and stability.IRIN | 21-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Great (and small) expectations for the London Conference
NAIROBI 21 February 2012 (IRIN) - Many Somalis expect the London Conference on 23 February to lead to peace and stability, while others have questioned what a five-hour meeting can achieve. IRIN spoke to a cross-section about their expectations and whether or not it would help to stabilize the country after more than two decades of civil war:IRIN | 21-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Galkayo IDPs suffer as aid agencies pull out
NAIROBI 14 February 2012 (IRIN) - More and more aid agencies are withdrawing from South Galkayo in central Somalia's self-declared autonomous state of Galmudug, due to increased insecurity: Five months after a militia kidnapped two aid workers, living conditions for thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) there have deteriorated, with food and shelter in short supply.irinnews.org | 14-Feb-2012 01:00
HORN: Fears of a new drought as La Niña returns
JOHANNESBURG 10 February 2012 (IRIN) - The climatic conditions linked to the drought in the Horn in 2011 have persisted, and some early warning officials say the aid community should brace themselves for a possible re-run of last year's food crisis.IRIN | 10-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Fighting displaces thousands in Somaliland
HARGEISA/NAIROBI 09 February 2012 (IRIN) - More than 1,000 families (about 6,000 people) have been displaced from the town of Buuhoodle and nearby villages in eastern Somaliland after heavy fighting on 8 February between the Somaliland Army and clan militias loyal to the newly created Khatumo State, locals told IRIN.irinnews.org | 09-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: London conference "an opportunity" for Somaliland
HARGEISA 07 February 2012 (IRIN) - More than two decades after it unilaterally asserted its independence from the rest of Somalia, Somaliland plans to lobby hard at a major conference in London in February for something it has sorely lacked since its inception: international recognition of its sovereignty.IRIN | 07-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: Mortality rates among world's highest in Somaliland
HARGEISA 02 February 2012 (IRIN) - The self-declared Republic of Somaliland is grappling with high child and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition and inadequate medical personnel, health officials told IRIN.irinnews.org | 02-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: SGBV on rise in Hargeisa IDP camps
HARGEISA 01 February 2012 (IRIN) - Cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), as well as domestic violence, are increasing in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland, with social workers attributing the trend to hard economic times made worse by recent drought in the region.irinnews.org | 01-Feb-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: UN condemns Al-Shabab's ban on ICRC
NAIROBI 31 January 2012 (IRIN) - The UN has expressed concern over a ban by Somalia's Al-Shabab insurgents on aid distributions by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia saying the move would reverse gains made in the country's food security.irinnews.org | 31-Jan-2012 01:00
AFRICA: Snake oil salesmen and dodgy HIV "cures"
NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG 19 January 2012 (IRIN) - Uganda's National Drug Authority recently arrested sales representatives of a company selling a drug that purports to cure HIV; the firm's owners are not licensed to sell medicine and are being sought by the police.IRIN | 19-Jan-2012 01:00
ETHIOPIA: Drought, floods hit education
ADDIS ABABA 18 January 2012 (IRIN) - Parts of Ethiopia are still reeling from the effects of recent drought, flooding, conflict or a combination of the three, resulting in increased numbers of children dropping out of school, say officials.irinnews.org | 18-Jan-2012 01:00
KENYA-SOMALIA: Paying high price for military incursion
ISIOLO-NAIROBI 13 January 2012 (IRIN) - Security, service delivery and economic activity in northeastern Kenya have deteriorated considerably since October 2011, when the country’s military forces deployed in neighbouring Somalia in an effort to eradicate the Al-Shabab militia, which has vowed to avenge the incursion.IRIN | 13-Jan-2012 01:00
AID POLICY: UN Integration under the spotlight
LONDON 13 January 2012 (IRIN) - Putting all UN operations in a country under a single management structure is not as simple as it might sound. In some countries, different parts of the UN may be negotiating with rebels to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, while their colleagues might be involved in planning military assaults against the very same groups.IRIN | 13-Jan-2012 01:00
SOMALIA: ICRC suspends aid deliveries
NAIROBI 12 January 2012 (IRIN) - One of the few aid agencies excluded from a ban imposed by Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia has suspended food and seed distributions to 1.1m people in the south and centre of the country after local authorities repeatedly blocked its deliveries.IRIN | 12-Jan-2012 01:00
AFRICA: AU wants peace, security and bigger global role in 2012
WASHINGTON 12 January 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union (AU) has unveiled an ambitious wish-list of priorities for Africa that would give the continent a stronger global voice, boost democracy and encourage peace and security.irinnews.org | 12-Jan-2012 01:00
KENYA-SOMALIA: Dadaab leaders flee after killings
DADAAB 06 January 2012 (IRIN) - Several community leaders among the 463,000 residents of the world’s largest refugee complex have left the facility in eastern Kenya, fearing for their safety after the killing of two of their colleagues.IRIN | 06-Jan-2012 01:00
ETHIOPIA: New PMTCT plan needs men
ADDIS ABABA 04 January 2012 (IRIN) - Ethiopia's new plan to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015 cannot be attained unless men are more meaningfully involved in reproductive health, experts say.irinnews.org | 04-Jan-2012 01:00
HORN & EASTERN AFRICA: Drought highlights in 2011
NAIROB I 30 December 2011 (IRIN) - Severe drought, exacerbated by poverty and conflict, hit at least four countries in 2011 - Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia - displacing hundreds of thousands of people.IRIN | 30-Dec-2011 01:00
SOMALIA: US bank move highlights importance of remittances
SOMALIA 27 December 2011 (IRIN) - The welfare of hundreds of thousands of Somalis who depend on financial assistance from the diaspora is at risk following a decision by a US bank to close down accounts of Somali money transfer companies in the state of Minnesota by 30 Decemberirinnews.org | 27-Dec-2011 01:00
KENYA-SOMALIA: Refugees injured in Dadaab crackdown
DADAAB 22 December 2011 (IRIN) - Dozens of refugees have been injured in a security operation by police in the Dadaab refugee camps, northeastern Kenya, following six explosions since early November, one of which killed a policeman on 19 December.irinnews.org | 22-Dec-2011 01:00
SOMALIA: Rape on the rise amid "climate of fear" in Mogadishu IDP camps
NAIROBI 22 December 2011 (IRIN) - The number of reported rapes in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, has risen sharply, creating "a climate of fear", according to a civil society source.irinnews.org | 22-Dec-2011 01:00
SOMALIA: Kismayo IDPs face hunger, drug shortages
NAIROBI 20 December 2011 (IRIN) - The plight of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Somalia's southern port city of Kismayo, controlled by Al-Shabab insurgents, has deteriorated, with thousands facing a food crisis after supply routes were blocked, and drug shortages as patient numbers increase, locals said.irinnews.org | 20-Dec-2011 01:00