Displaying items by tag: Somalia

Thursday, 21 March 2024 21:17

India to prosecute 35 Somali pirates

India is set to prosecute 35 Somali pirates captured after freeing a ship which they had hijacked on 14 December in the Northern Arabian Sea. The rescue operation, lasting about 40 hours, involved drones, navy vessels, and marine commandos.The pirates, due to arrive in India soon, will face legal action, although specific charges were not disclosed. This was the first commercial ship hijacking by Somali pirates since 2017, but another ship was hijacked on 12 March. India has bolstered its naval presence internationally, and aims to police the Gulf of Aden to prevent Houthi attacks on ships linked to Israel. The Houthis, controlling most of Yemen, have threatened to target ships until Israel halts what they term as genocide in Gaza.

Published in Worldwide

An agreement on 1 January by breakaway Somaliland to allow Ethiopia to use the Red Sea port of Berbera has been condemned by Somalia as dangerous for regional stability. Since 1991, when Eritrea gained independence, Ethiopia has been landlocked and reliant on neighbouring Djibouti for maritime trade access. The new agreement, signed by the Ethiopian prime minister and Somaliland’s president, includes acknowledging Somaliland as an independent nation and giving it a share of the ownership of Ethiopian Airlines in due course. Somaliland, which declared autonomy in 1991, lacks widespread international recognition; Somalia insists that it remains part of its territory. Following mediation by Djibouti, the two countries have agreed to restart talks to resolve their dispute.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 24 March 2023 06:08

Somalia: Christian Aid prayer for East Africa

43,000 people died during Somalia’s longest drought on record. 18,000 deaths are expected in the first half of 2023. Christian Aid is urging the UK's government to act immediately and for us to pray the following prayer. ‘Loving God, When Famine stalks the land, nothing grows. Plants cannot, people cannot, ideas and dreams cannot, and everything dies. It is a violent anomaly of your will for the world, and it is multiplied by covid conflict and climate change. God of flourishing fields, there is enough to feed everyone. Call us to that sacred sharing neighbour to global neighbour Your gifts of food, water, a chance to live the life so delicately crafted by your divine spirit. May we turn towards each other with generosity and justice-driven compassion that searches for solutions. Famine stalks the land, so may our outrage grow, may our determination steel itself, and may our solidarity spur us into action. Help us feed each other. Amen’

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 17 November 2022 20:24

Somalia: drought and deaths

11-year-old Dahir's brother died of hunger. His two sisters are fighting sickness and malnutrition caused by drought. Authorities want the international community to recognise the crisis as a famine. ‘I'm worried about my sisters. I wash them. I wash their faces’, says Dahir, glancing at six-year-old Mariam, coughing hoarsely and complaining of headache, and four-year-old Malyun, lethargic with sunken eyes. Measles and pneumonia are rampant, killing many younger children with immune systems weakened by malnutrition. At hospitals’ intensive care wards, doctors and nurses insert fluid drips into emaciated infants' arms and oxygen tubes into tiny nostrils. Children's limbs are dark and blistered as if severely burnt - a painful reaction to prolonged starvation. The hospital's head doctor said, ‘The world is paying attention to Somalia's drought now. We see visitors from international donors. But that doesn't mean we are getting enough support. I hope it will come soon. It is a desperate situation.’

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 07 October 2022 10:40

Somalia: brink of starvation

For three decades Somalia has lurched between disorder and anarchy. The government controls only bits of the country. The rest is in the hands of al-Shabab jihadists adept at blowing themselves up in crowded places. For many Somalis life is poor, brutish, and short. They live in the world’s fifth poorest and eighth most violent country. Their life expectancy is the sixth lowest. Droughts and floods add to the misery. In 2011 failed rains contributed to the worst famine of the 21st century: more than 250,000 people died, half of them children. A decade later history may repeat itself. The worst drought in four decades is wilting crops and killing livestock. On 5 September government officials said an even greater catastrophe could sweep the country within days or weeks unless more help arrives. Over 18 million people can’t find enough to eat; children are dying. Pray for hospitals to have enough nutritional supplements for children. See also

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 22 September 2022 21:59

Horn of Africa: unprecedented famine

Unprecedented famine grips parts of Africa. Four years of droughts, Covid-19, and the Ukraine war have created dire conditions. In Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, one person dies from hunger every 48 seconds. Water sources and wells have dried up. Crops have failed, livestock have died, and 22 million people may starve. Many farmers only grow enough to feed themselves. Many relying on livestock see their animals die. Families forced to flee looking for food embark on very perilous journeys. The level of pain and suffering is devastating. Half of Somalia’s population are experiencing crisis hunger levels. One in three children face chronic malnutrition. Before Ukraine’s war Somalia imported 90% of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine, Ethiopia imported 42%. Kenya 44%, plus oil, iron, steel, and fertilisers. In late August, the first grain shipment from Ukraine brought 23,000 tons of wheat - enough for 1.5 million for a month, a drop in the bucket for needy millions. See also the Europe article on Ukraine cargo ships leaving.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 09 September 2022 09:40

Somalia: al-Shabaab replacing al-Qaeda

On 2 September, al-Shabaab terrorists killed 18 civilians and destroyed several relief trucks in central Somalia. Al-Shabaab has increased attacks over the summer. In August they killed several Somali soldiers and attacked military bases in Kenya, Mali, and Ethiopia. An attack on a Mogadishu hotel lasting 35 hours killed 21 people. Its leaders want to replace al-Qaeda and expand their reach. Al-Qaeda has not found a leader to replace Ayman al-Zawahiri. If one is not chosen soon, al-Shabaab could declare its East African government separate from al-Qaeda and hope to overthrow the government of Somalia itself. They are receiving resources through forcing people to pay taxes by threatening them, bombing their businesses, or kidnapping their daughters. Despite the danger, many continue to share the story of Jesus. These are not US or European missionaries; they are Muslim background believers living in close proximity in the same culture. World Mission sends them solar-powered audio Bibles in the local language.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 09 June 2022 22:42

Somalia: drought, famine, malnutrition

On 31 May the UN's top humanitarian official for the Horn of Africa predicted a devastating outlook for millions of Somalis, amid worsening famine. Before the end of 2022, 7.1 million people will be affected by drought and famine. He said that 1.4 million children face acute malnutrition, and 330,000 are likely to become severely malnourished. Currently 6.1 million Somalis are affected by this drought emergency. Of that number, 771,400 (mostly women and children) have been displaced from their homes in search of water, food and pasture. The outlook has worsened due to the prospects of a fifth consecutive failed rainy season. Pray for God to strengthen and empower all who are providing aid to the hundreds of thousands experiencing acute food insecurity. Pray for medics and medication to be released to those experiencing severe malnutrition and acute watery diarrhoea. Pray for those mourning the deaths of loved ones.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 26 May 2022 23:17

Somalia: new president and al-Shabaab

On 15 May Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia’s president from 2012 to 2017, won the election and has returned to the top job. He faces numerous tough challenges, from a devastating drought that risks pushing millions into famine to deep political divisions within the federal government and state authorities. Arguably his biggest task, however, will be to tackle al-Shabaab and a recent rise in attacks, including 48 deaths from suicide bombings in March.' The president’s new administration will need to contend with the Islamist militants’ use of children. They use boys as spies, logistics operatives, and combatants, and girls as cooks, cleaners, and ‘wives’ as well as to spy or move weaponry. The country has a bulging young population with limited or no opportunities. Trust in the government and its security institutions is low, which means that al-Shabaab can lure young recruits with promises of money, marriage, or power.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 17 March 2022 21:22

Africa / Asia: food crises

The Horn of Africa is in crisis with drought and food insecurity. 20 million are impacted or in need of aid; pray for the survival needs of both livestock and humans to be met after three failed rainy seasons back to back. In Somalia 4.3 million people are hungry, and people fear a repeat of the 2012 famine. In Ethiopia, the drought is compounding the humanitarian disaster of the war in the country’s north, while in neighbouring Kenya’s pastoralist zone, the loss of cattle is triggering raids and clashes between communities. In Myanmar farmers say the 2021 coup worsened food insecurity and is nothing short of a disaster. Humanitarian needs multiply and continue to spiral. One million people needed aid before the coup; now it’s 14 million. 500,000 people have been displaced since the coup, a quarter of the population is food insecure and violent new conflicts spread in a new wave of anti-coup militias. ‘There is fear everywhere’, one aid worker said.

Published in Worldwide
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