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  • Horn of Africa: Not the Time to Look Away
    12/12/2011
    When famine was declared in Somalia in July, the world turned its attention to the crisis in the Horn of Africa. Since then, public and media attention has waned, despite the fact that the crisis is far from over. Food production in Somalia will not return to normal levels until the end of 2012 at the earliest. Rising insecurity inside Somalia and Kenya is impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid while greater numbers of Somalis are forced to flee violence and hunger. In the refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, UN agencies and NGOs have responded well to meet the basic needs of hundreds of thousands of new refugees, but protection monitoring and programming remains weak. In Mogadishu, non-traditional donor countries have created much needed new streams of assistance. However, their inexperience in aid distribution and coordination is resulting in vast disparities in the delivery of aid. Informal and unmanaged Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) sites inside the capital have become breeding grounds for waterborne diseases. And throughout Somalia, ongoing violence, banditry, and food shortages have trapped people who have nothing left, and nowhere to flee.
  • Somalis in Kenya: Invest in the Long-Term
    11/29/2010
    While the international community has not succeeded in bringing stability to Somalia, it can succeed in improving the lives of Somali refugees.  The single most important way the donor community can assist the Somali people is through increasing educational opportunities.  Humanitarian assistance alone cannot meet the needs of three generations of Somali refugees.  Donors and the United Nations must provide greater development funding to refugees and host communities living in and around Dadaab.  To improve urban protection, the UNHCR must dedicate more staff for registration in Nairobi and, along with donors, prioritize support for local Kenyan NGOs assisting urban refugees.
  • Somali Refugees: Protecting Their Rights in Cities
    06/16/2010
    Tens of thousands of Somali refugees have sought asylum in cities in neighboring countries but have long been overlooked by humanitarian actors. Registration and documentation should be the foundation of refugee protection in cities.
  • Somalia: Political Progress, Humanitarian Stalemate
    04/03/2009
    Somalia remains the site of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with regional consequences that require greater international attention. The formation of a new government has so far meant little to the more than three million Somalis in need of emergency assistance inside the country.
  • Somalia: Policy Overhaul Required
    11/19/2008
    Somalia is the world’s worst humanitarian disaster and aid agencies are unable to respond to the immense scale of needs. The insecurity preventing assistance is a consequence of failed international political and diplomatic efforts. To stabilize the situation in south central Somalia, U.S. policy requires a complete overhaul, prioritizing humanitarian concerns over narrow counterterrorism objectives.
  • Somalia: Proceed with Caution
    03/31/2008
    Somalia is without a doubt the most neglected crisis in the world today. 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.