Ravaged by 20 years of civil war, the Somali capital has experienced an influx of displaced persons in the last three months. Providing aid to people who have fled hunger and fighting is a constant challenge in this chaotic urban setting. Since July, more than 150,000 Somalis have left the...
Measles starts with a fever, runny nose and a cough, then a rash. For children who are not immunised this often spells disaster. Today, in Somalia measles is among the biggest threats to the survival of tens of thousands of vulnerable malnourished children when the disease sweeps quickly through...
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is currently battling outbreaks of cholera and measles in and around the town of Marere in southern Somalia. Marere and the surrounding villages of Jilib, Keytoy and Osman Moto are host to around five thousand displaced Somalis, who have fled conflict and drought...
The current emergency unfolding in and around Somalia is being portrayed by many aid organisations and the media in one-dimensional terms, such as “famine in the Horn of Africa” or “worst drought in 60 years”. But only blaming natural causes ignores the complex geopolitical realities exacerbating...
The international medical-humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is assisting wounded patients in the town of Galcaayo in the Mudug Region of Somalia. Heavy fighting broke out on Thursday (1/9/11) in the town, leading to many casualties including among civilians. The hospital in...
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has redoubled its efforts to reach those most in need in Somalia, where it has been working for more than 20 years. The international medical organisation has increased its capacity to treat malnourished children in its nine projects across the country in response to...
For the past few weeks Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in Somalia have been trying to expand their operations despite ongoing violence in the capital and other restrictions. As the number of malnourished children continues to rise, it is clear that more assistance is necessary for the already...
Hussein Sheikh Qassim works in the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Marere, southern Somalia. He spoke to us by phone on 17 August. Today, when we woke up, the skies were covered by dark clouds and we still haven’t seen the sun. Because of the weather, people haven’t brought the sick to...
Somalia has been in a state of war for 20 years. Today, forces of the Transitional Federal Government supported by the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) are fighting with Al-Shabaab armed group in Mogadishu and other parts of the country. Safe access for international NGOs remains...
David MICHALSKI, emergency coordinator, and Said HASSAN, field coordinator, recently finished their missions in Mogadishu, Somalia. In this interview they describe the humanitarian situation and the first steps of MSF’s response in the capital. “I arrived in Mogadishu with two colleagues on 31 July...
