Refugees International: Reports: Visual Mission: Displaced in Somalia

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Visual Mission: Displaced in Somalia

Over the past seventeen years, Somalia has been subject to ongoing civil wars, droughts and floods. Most observers agree that the crisis has never been as acute as it is today. The immense gap between the level of need and the corresponding humanitarian response is striking. Agencies struggle to provide food, water, health care, and other basic assistance to one million internally displaced people because of the worsening security crisis. In February and March 2008, advocate Patrick Duplat and peacebuilding advocate Erin Weir assessed the conditions faced by displaced Somalis in parts of Lower Shabelle, Mogadishu and along the Mogadishu-Afgooye road. During the mission, they interviewed representatives from UN agencies, local and international NGOs, government and local authorities, as well as Somalis who have been affected by the conflict.

Somalia 2008: Street Scene in Mogadishu

Photo Credit: Refugees International
03/06/2008
The people of Somalia have gone without a stable government for over 17 years. Infrastructure in Mogadishu – already crumbling after nearly two decades of fighting – continues to deteriorate.