Somalia

The capital of Mogadishu, Somalia has been the scene of ongoing clashes between Government troops and Islamist Militant groups, including Al-Shabaab. Violence in the city has led to some 3,000 casualties this year and uprooted around 200,000 people. The fighting is far from over and the situation is critical for those who remain in the capital.

Some of Somali women groups in Banaadir Region are blaming Prime Minister Umar Abdirashid Sharmarke to be behind civilian harassment including constant shelling in Mogadishu Bakaaraha Market. Our correspondent Isma'il Tifow Hassan has the details.

NAIROBI, 7 September 2010 (IRIN) - Authorities in Galkayo, in Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, are offering internally displaced persons (IDPs) skills training in a bid to integrate them into the community, officials said.

The move comes nearly a year after many IDPs and their businesses were targeted by mobs for suspected involvement in explosions in the town.

Being mothers, sisters, daughters or even wives Somali women have been violated in many ways, their sons, husbands, brothers, fathers and uncles has been killed, some of them has been rapped, others faced different violence.

Ninety Somali youth and women successfully concluded six three-day workshops held August 3-9 to increase their understanding of conflict in Somalia and strengthen their skills to help avert, manage and mitigate conflicts, particularly clan-related conflict, in their communities.

'THE KAMPALA TRAGEDY HAS HEIGHTENED INTERNATIONAL
ATTENTION AND CONCERN. THE CURRENT POLITICAL AND SECURITY IMPASSE DEMANDS URGENT ACTION' SAYS U.N. ENVOY
Nairobi, Kenya, August 14, 2010 – UN top envoy for Somalia has called on all Somali Diaspora to join him as he embarked on the difficult task of reconciliation in the Horn of Africa nation which will see him focus on peace and security.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling on all parties to the conflict in Mogadishu, Somali to take all measures to minimize civilian casualties and to respect the protected status of medical facilities.

A very high proportion of civilians, among them large numbers of women and young children, are bearing the brunt of ongoing extreme warfare in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, with many suffering catastrophic injuries.

Kenyan forces at the Somali border and in nearby refugee camps are abusing asylum seekers and refugees fleeing war-torn Somalia. Kenya tightened security along its border with Somalia in February in anticipation of a government offensive against Al-Shabbab and other anti-government groups, which has yet to occur. There were fears that Somali fighters might enter Kenya if attacked at home.

Food is scarce in Ethiopia, where most of the population lives in rural, drought-prone areas in a state of chronic poverty. In 2010, the Government of Ethiopia identified 5.2 million people in need of emergency food aid. Not surprisingly, this hunger crisis also impacts the thousands of refugees living just within Ethiopia's borders.