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Somalia

You are viewing all content tagged Somalia.  You can also read an overview of MSF's work in Somalia.

Press Release | May 1, 2013

Yemen: Migrants Abused, Tortured by Smugglers

Authorities in Yemen have freed more than a thousand Somali and Ethiopian migrants, many suffering from torture and sexual abuse while forcibly held by human smugglers.

Press Release | February 27, 2013

Humanitarian Aid Must Not Be Co-Opted Into Somalia Stabilization Program

Efforts underway at the UN to integrate humanitarian assistance into the international military campaign against opponents of Somalia’s government will further threaten the safe delivery of independent and impartial aid to Somalis.

Press Release | December 28, 2012

Kenya: Possible Influx Of New Refugees Will Worsen Already Dire Conditions In Camps

A move to relocate Somali refugees from Kenyan cities to already overcrowded refugee camps nearer the border with Somalia would make an already miserable situation even worse.

Press Release | December 28, 2012

One Year Later, MSF Remembers Two Colleagues Killed in Somalia

A year ago today,  Philippe Havet and Andrias Karel Keiluhu were killed while delivering emergency medical assistance in Somalia.

Field News | November 20, 2012

Responding to Urgent Nutritional Needs on the Outskirts of Mogadishu

An MSF assessment finds alarming malnutrition rates in many parts of the country, including the outskirts of Mogadishu.

Field News | October 9, 2012

MSF Restates Its Anger and Shock Over Abduction of Aid Workers One Year Ago in Dadaab

MSF continues to fully support the families of Blanca Thiebaut and Montserrat Serra, two MSF employees who were abducted from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp while working to help Somali refugees in need.

Press Release | October 2, 2012

Dadaab: Leaders Must Not Fail Refugees in the World's Largest Camp

MSF calls for the plight of the nearly half a million Somali refugees currently living in Kenya's Dadaab camp to be added to the agenda at the annual meeting of the executive committee of the UNHCR.

Field News | July 10, 2012

Somalia: Responding to Diarrhea in Kismayo

MSF is responding to increased cases of acute watery diarrhea among children and adults in the city of Kismayo in southern Somalia.

Voice from the Field | June 14, 2012

Voice From the Field: "People Living in Dadaab are Broken"

MSF deputy field coordinator Abubakar Mohamed Mahamud describes the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees living in the overcrowded Dadaab camps.

Briefing Documents | June 14, 2012

Dadaab: Shadows of Lives

Overlooked by the international community, the already-dire situation in Kenya's overcrowded Dadaab refugee camps is worsening.

Field News | June 6, 2012

The Risks of Childbirth in Somalia

Giving birth in Somalia is incredibly dangerous, but it's made slightly less so by the huge efforts of MSF’s Somali staff. 

Voice from the Field | May 24, 2012

Voice From the Field: What Hiloweyn Meant to Me

Michele Trainiti worked in and around Ethiopia's Hiloweyn camp for nearly eight months, first as project coordinator and later as emergency coordinator. In this piece he describes his experience.

Field News | May 24, 2012

Handing Over the Somali Refugee Project in Ethiopia

In May 2012, after successfully coping with a humanitarian crisis, MSF handed over its project in Hiloweyn refugee camp to an Ethiopian refugee agency.

Field News | May 17, 2012

MSF Concludes Emergency Cholera Intervention Somalia's Middle Shabelle Region

Following weeks of no new cases, MSF is set to close an emergency cholera intervention in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region.

Special Report | April 6, 2012

Special Report: Assisting the Somali Population Affected by the Humanitarian Crisis of 2011

This document gives an overview of MSF activities related to the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia. The data presented, though provisional, account for MSF’s medical activities and financial income and expenditures in this region, while the narrative illustrates how MSF as a medical aid organization responded to this evolving crisis. 

Press Release | March 30, 2012

Somalia: MSF Hospital Caught in Center of Fighting in Mogadishu

Shells from the fighting in Daynile, a neighborhood located in an outlying area of Mogadishu, struck Daynile hospital’s emergency room and a portion of the surgical ward, causing significant damage.

Field News | March 7, 2012

Somalia: Measles Takes its Toll

Measles is sweeping unchecked through parts of southern Somalia, where MSF is still waiting for permission from authorities to conduct a vaccination campaign.

Voice from the Field | February 28, 2012

Ethiopia: "There Is Still So Much to Improve"

José Luis Dvorzak, an MSF doctor, describes his experiences in Ethiopia's Liben refugee camps, and calls attention to the ongoing plight of Somali refugees.

Special Report | February 16, 2012

Dadaab Briefing Paper: Back to Square One

"Dadaab: Back to Square One" takes stock of the current humanitarian situation in the world's largest refugee camp.

Voice from the Field | February 2, 2012

Somalia: "The Child is Completely Different Than [the] Day He Was Admitted"

Four-year-old Khalif's uncle brought him 37 miles to Kismayo to receive treatment at MSF's inpatient therapeutic feeding center.

Voice from the Field | January 25, 2012

Ethiopia: "It Is Not Good for People to Fear Every Day and Night"

These testimonies from Somali refugees in southern Ethiopia describe the violence that drove them from their homes and the challenges they face in the refugee camps they've settled in. 

Press Release | January 19, 2012

MSF Closes Two Large Medical Centers in Mogadishu after Killings of Staff

Following the tragic killings of two staff members in Mogadishu on December 29, 2011, MSF has been forced to end all activities in the Hodan district of the capital.

Press Release | January 7, 2012

MSF Condemns Attacks On Aid Workers And Calls For Release Of Abducted Colleagues in Somalia

Recent attacks on aid workers and the ongoing abduction of two colleagues in Somalia jeopordize life-saving medical projects and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

Alert Article | January 3, 2012

Humanitarian Space

In this year-end issue of Alert we highlight 2011's pictures of the year, share MSF nurse Mary Jo Frawley's remembrance of her time in Haiti, and explore MSF's history of negotiation in the new book Humanitarian Negotiations Revealed.

Press Release | December 29, 2011

MSF Shocked And Deeply Saddened By The Killing Of Two Staff Members In Mogadishu, Somalia

It is with great sadness that MSF confirms that two of its staff members were killed Thursday morning as a result of a shooting at an MSF compound in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Field News | November 11, 2011

Somalia: Caught Between Epidemics, Malnutrition, and Conflict

A measles epidemic is spreading. The lack of infrastructure and services is worsening the population’s vulnerability. And civilians have endured new military offensives.

Press Release | November 2, 2011

Ethiopia: Surge of Somali Refugees Demands Increased Aid Capacity

Unless the capacity to deliver aid is rapidly increased, it will be extremely difficult to meet the needs of Somalis fleeing to Ethiopia, MSF said today.

Alert Article | November 1, 2011

A Reality Check on Somalia

The current emergency unfolding in and around Somalia is being portrayed by many aid organizations 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 situation and suggests that the solution lies in merely finding funds and shipping enough food to the Horn of Africa.

Alert Article | November 1, 2011

Somalia's Ongoing Emergency

Throughout the summer, waves of Somalis set out on desperate, arduous journeys, braving desert heat, hunger, and bandits to seek relief from a catastrophe remarkable even by the standards of this long-troubled country.

Alert Article | November 1, 2011

Humanitarian Space

In this issue of Alert, we share news and images of our response to the ongoing crisis in Somalia, where MSF has spent the summer trying to expand its services to meet the latest emergency to befall the country’s people.

Press Release | October 31, 2011

Dozens Treated After Bombardment of Displaced Persons Camp in South Somalia (UPDATED)

MSF treated dozens of people, the majority of them children, after a camp for dispalced Somalis in the Lower Juba region was hit with an aerial bombardment.

Press Release | October 30, 2011

Dozens Treated After Bombardment of Displaced Persons Camp in South Somalia

The camp, in the town of Jilib, was hit around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The wounded were treated in the town of in Marere, in Lower Juba Region, where MSF provides medical assistance. 

Field News | October 21, 2011

Somalia: Vaccination Campaign Suspended Due to Fighting In Daynile

After heavy fighting erupted on October 20 in Daynile, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, MSF was forced to suspend its measles vaccination campaign in the area.

Press Release | October 18, 2011

MSF Seeks Swift Release of Abducted Staff Without Use of Force

Disassociating itself from armed activities and related declarations following the abduction, MSF is engaging with all relevant actors to seek a safe resolution.

Field News | October 11, 2011

Somalia: Aid to Displaced People in Mogadishu Still Insufficient

Since July, more than 150,000 Somalis have left the provinces of the country's central region to seek refuge in Mogadishu.

Field News | September 29, 2011

Fighting Measles in Somalia Proves Difficult

Today in Somalia, measles is among the biggest threats to the survival of tens of thousands of vulnerable malnourished children.

Field News | September 13, 2011

Somalia: An Uphill Battle Against Measles and Cholera

To the extent possible given the conditions, MSF is battling cholera and measles outbreaks in and around the town of Marere in southern Somalia

Press Release | September 12, 2011

MSF Launching Traveling Interactive Exhibition Sept. 13 in New York

MSF and VII Photo have launched a four-city tour of "Starved for Attention," a free interactive, multimedia exhibit in which some of the world's top photojournalists highlight the global crisis of malnutrition.

Field News | September 6, 2011

MSF in Somalia - Timeline

An overview of MSF's work in Somalia, which began in 1979 and has continued without interruption since 1991, with a particular focus on nutrition, emergency response to conflict, mother and child healthcare, and treatment of infectious diseases.

Field News | September 2, 2011

Somalia: MSF Assists Wounded After Heavy Fighting in Galcaayo

The hospital in Galcaayo North, which is partly supported by MSF, has treated 60 wounded, most of them civilians, while another 20 wounded were treated at an MSF-run hospital in the southern part of the city.

Field News | September 2, 2011

Somalia: Striving to Reach the Most Vulnerable

Restrictions and security concerns continue to hinder MSF's attempts to reach the most vulnerable populations in Somalia.

Voice from the Field | September 1, 2011

Somalia: Responding to Greater Needs in Galgaduud

Dr. Faiza Adan Abdirahman, the medical doctor in charge of the pediatric department at Istarlin hospital in Galgaduud, discusses the situation in the area.

Field News | August 23, 2011

Somalia: Amid Restrictions, MSF Seeks to Widen Assistance to Malnourished Somalis

As the number of malnourished children continues to rise, it is clear that more assistance is necessary for the already vulnerable Somali population.

Voice from the Field | August 19, 2011

Somalia: Planning Expanded Activities Despite Significant Obstacles

Duncan McLean, MSF program manager for Somalia, talks about the difficulties of working in Somalia today.

Voice from the Field | August 19, 2011

Somalia: Patients Who "On Top of Being Sick, Are Actually Starving" in Marere

An interview with Hussein Sheikh Qassim is the Medical Activities Manager in the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Marere, southern Somalia.

Voice from the Field | August 18, 2011

Somalia: No Time to Waste in Mogadishu

MSF staff recently returned from Mogadishu discuss what they saw there and the issues the humanitarian response to the ongoing crisis must address.

Field News | August 12, 2011

Ethiopia: Thousands of Somalis Fleeing Hunger And War Continue to Arrive

Nearly 120,000 Somali refugees are now taking shelter in Ethiopia's Liben region, in camps originally built to house less than half their number.

Field News | August 12, 2011

Somalia: MSF is Rapidly Scaling Up Activities in Mogadishu

MSF has sent medical teams and four charter planes carrying 55 tons of medical equipment, medicines and therapeutic food to respond the crisis affecting the Somali population.

Field News | August 4, 2011

Somalia: MSF Distributes Relief Goods to Displaced Families in Southern Town of Jilib

MSF teams working in Marere, in southern Somalia, are distributing relief items to thousands of displaced Somalis who have found temporary shelter in the nearby town of Jilib.

Press Coverage | July 29, 2011

ABC's World News Tonight: MSF Dadaab

Watch ABC News Correspondent David Muir as he makes his way to Dadaab refugee camp and visits the MSF intensive care unit where MSF staff are treating severely malnourished children.

Press Release | July 26, 2011

Somalis in Kenya: From One Desert to Another

MSF is deeply concerned by the relocation of Somali refugees in Dadaab to the Ifo 3 camp, a move marked by a pronounced lack of transparency, planning, and consultation.

Press Release | July 22, 2011

MSF: No More Delays or Restrictions For Somalis Needing Aid and Refuge

MSF urges all parties in Somalia, neighboring countries, and the international community to improve assistance to the Somali population in the region and remove hurdles preventing the expansion of independent aid in Somalia. 

Field News | July 21, 2011

Somalia: Crisis Is Pushing People From Their Homes En Masse

"What is new is that people are now fleeing the rural areas simply because they have no more food to eat.”

Voice from the Field | July 21, 2011

Somalia: Patient Stories From Marere

Malnutrition is of the biggest dangers for the Lower Juba region's eight million people. In the town of Marere, MSF runs the only hospital in southern Somalia that offers free medical care.

Voice from the Field | July 19, 2011

Somalia: "The Situation Is Extremely Dire"

Dr. Hussein Sheikh Qassim, MSF Medical Coordinator in Marere, southern Somalia, describes how violence and drought are driving people from their homes in search of care and shelter.

Field News | July 18, 2011

Responding In The Horn of Africa

MSF is seeing a dramatic effect on the Somali population—both those in Somalia and the many who have fled to overcrowded camps in Dadaab, Kenya, and parts of Ethiopia. 

Field News | July 13, 2011

Kenya: Humanitarian Crisis on the Outskirts of Overcrowded Dadaab Camp

MSF has found alarmingly high rates of malnutrition among the Somali refugees arriving and settling on the outskirts of the Dadaab refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. 


Field News | July 8, 2011

Somalia: MSF Stepping Up Malnutrition Intervention As Horn of Africa Food Crisis Worsens

As a food crisis worsens and conflict continues, many people inside Somalia, and in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, urgently need assistance.

Voice from the Field | June 17, 2011

Kenya: Voices From Dadaab

Voice from the Field | June 17, 2011

Kenya: Caring For "New Arrivals" In Dadaab

Nenna Arnold, a community outreach nurse at the Dagahaley refugee camp in northeastern Kenya, cares for Somali refugees fleeing violence, insecurity, and a devastating drough.

Voice from the Field | June 13, 2011

Kenya: "Health Indicators Are Now At An Emergency Level" in Dadaab

Dr. Gedi Mohamed, director of the general hospital at Dagahaley refugee camp, in northeastern Kenya, describes what brought him to Dadaab and how MSF is coping with the severely overcrowded conditions.

Field News | June 13, 2011

Kenya: Fleeing Somalis Struggle To Find Shelter At The World's Largest Refugee Camp

Crowded into camps built to house 90,000 people that are now "home" to more than 300,000, Somali refugees in Dadaab, Kenya, urgently need additional assistance and more shelter.

Field News | March 29, 2011

Somalia: MSF Forced to Suspend Operations in Section of Mogadishu

After two attacks on MSF's compound in Mogadishu's Medina neighborhood, MSF was forced to suspend its medical operations in the area indefinitely. 

Field News | February 28, 2011

Somalia: New Offensive Causes Scores of Casualties

As fierce fighting continues in and around Mogadishu, MSF medical teams are treating dozens of severely wounded people at the main hospital in Daynile.

Alert Article | January 31, 2011

Program Update: Somalia

Even a quick glance at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins San Frontières (MSF) updates from Somalia over the past two years shows that the country’s conflict remains as relentless as ever. February 25, 2009: “121 wounded in 24 hours”; June 2, 2009: “218 treated over two weeks”; January 20, 2010: “111 wounded in 3-day period”: February 3, 2010: 89 treated, including 66 women and children, in Mogadishu.

Press Release | January 21, 2011

Somali Refugees Blocked From Living in New Camp in Kenya

Tens of thousands of Somali refugees live in appalling, overcrowded conditions while a nearby camp lies empty.

Field News | December 21, 2010

Kenya: Somalis Wait for Space in Overcrowded Camps

MSF staff report a grave shortage of shelter despite up to 1,500 new arrivals every week.

Voice from the Field | December 10, 2010

Somaliland, Ethiopia: In Hargeisa's Shadaha camp, Life Flourishes Amid Hardship

“Having a baby is a joy. Having three is a triple blessing,” says Fardows Abu-Bakr, 34, who recently gave birth to healthy triplets in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Press Release | November 12, 2010

Kenya: Assistance Urgently Needed for Vulnerable Somali Refugees

“Hundreds of families have been living in makeshift shelters in a no man’s land over the past four months, waiting to be relocated to a proper camp,” said MSF’s head of mission in Kenya.

Field News | September 24, 2010

Somalia: Casualties Overwhelming Medical Capacity

MSF treats dozens of injured at its project in Danileye

Field News | August 26, 2010

Somalia: Amid Intense Fighting in Mogadishu, MSF Treats 127 Wounded in Three Days

With intense fighting raging in Mogadishu, MSF's Daynile Hospital treated the largest influx of wounded people it has seen since the beginning of the year.

Field News | August 9, 2010

Somalia: MSF Begins TB Treatment Program in Rural Areas of Middle Shabelle Region

"Health indicators in Somalia have been known to be, for many years already, some of the worst in the world and TB is not an exception."

Field News | August 3, 2010

Somalia: Civilians Continue to Bear Brunt of Warfare in Mogadishu

A high proportion of civilians, including large numbers of women and children, bear the brunt of ongoing warfare in Mogadishu.

Voice from the Field | July 30, 2010

Somali Refugees in Ethiopia

MSF has been providing care to more than 30,000 Somali Refugees in Ethiopia's Liben zone since February 2009.

Field News | July 6, 2010

Somalia: 23 Women and Children Injured By Shelling in Mogadishu

MSF treated 42 people wounded in fighting Mogadishu this past weekend, 23 of whom were women and children under the age of 14.

Field News | June 21, 2010

Somalia: Malnutrition Rising in Lower Juba Region

In recent weeks, MSF has seen an alarming rise in the number of malnourished children being treated at Marere Hospital in Somalia's Lower Juba Region.

Field News | June 21, 2010

Somalia: Medical Activities Resume in Hawa Abdi

MSF has resumed its medical activities in Hawa Abdi in Somalia

Field News | June 14, 2010

Somalia: MSF Opens New TB Facilities in Middle Shabelle

On June 5, MSF opened new TB departments in two of its health centers in the Middle Shabelle region of Somalia. The departments will provide free quality TB services, including testing, treatment, and health education to the communities living in the surrounding areas of Mahaday and Gololey.

Field News | June 4, 2010

Somalia: Amid Vaccination Campaign, MSF Treats Wounded in Guri-El

Following recent clashes in Somalia’s Galgaduud region, MSF is treating wounded patients in Istarlin hospital in Guri-el. The 80-bed hospital has been working to near full capacity in most departments, including treating patients for malnutrition, whooping cough and measles.

Field News | June 2, 2010

Somalia: Flooding in Belet Weyne, MSF Supports Displaced People

Concerns about the risk of flooding in Belet Weyne during recent weeks were realized last weekend when the rising water levels led to the displacement of more than 10,000 habitants from the town.

Field News | May 10, 2010

Somalia: The Neutrality of Medical Facilities Must be Respected

After its clinic in Hawa Abdi was occupied by an armed party, MSF is calling for all parties to respect the neutrality of medical facilities.

Field News | May 6, 2010

Somalia: Fighting Forces MSF to Suspend Activities in Hawa Abdi Clinic

On May 5, MSF was forced to temporarily suspend activities in the Hawa Abdi clinic after a security incident not related to MSF’s activities degenerated into a major clash.

Field News | February 11, 2010

A Day in Dadaab

MSF is still very concerned about the situation in one of the world’s most congested camp complexes, located in Dadaab, in northeast Kenya.

Press Release | February 3, 2010

Mogadishu: 66 Women And Children Injured By Indiscriminate Shelling

Nairobi/New York, February 3, 2010—As fierce fighting once again grips Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) admitted 89 people suffering from blast injuries to its hospital in the Daynile area of the city between January 29 and February 2. Of these, 66 were women and children.

Press Release | January 20, 2010

Somalia: Emergency Service Continues Despite Violence

Nairobi, 19 January 2010 - As ongoing fighting in the Hiraan and Galgaduud regions of Somalia takes an ever greater toll on civilians, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has continued to support two hospitals in Guri El and Belet Weyne.

Field News | January 6, 2010

Somalia: Despite Clashes, MSF Continues Activities in Galgadud Region

MSF continues activities in Dhusa Mareb, despite growing insecurity due to clashes on Saturday, January 2.

Top Ten Humantarian Crises | December 31, 2009

Somalis Endure Violence and Lack of Access to Health Care

Special Report | December 31, 2009

Somalia: An Overview

An overview of MSF activities in Somalia in 2009.

Field News | December 8, 2009

Somalia: MSF Clinics Overflowing with Malnourished Children

“This is the highest number of malnourished children MSF has ever treated in the area. What’s more, we are concerned that not everyone is able to reach us. What we see in our program may just be a fraction of a wider crisis," says MSF’s head of mission for Somalia.

Field News | December 4, 2009

Somalia: MSF Laments Attack on Medical Students' Graduation

Medical needs in Somalia are vast, and frequently made worse by violence and drought. The graduates of Benadir University offer a rare hope for the Somali people—the possibility of lifesaving medical care. This year MSF supported and recruited a number of the university's first graduates.

Voice from the Field | November 16, 2009

Somalia: "I did not choose this career at the beginning"

In the central Somali city of Galkayo, Dr. Abdullahi Adan Mohamoud is working for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to provide health care to a vulnerable population trapped in a conflict-ridden and divided city. In this interview, he explains about the medical work needs in Galkayo and about working as a surgeon in Somalia.

Field News | November 16, 2009

Somalia: Round-the-Clock Care Saves Countless Lives in South Galkayo Hospital

Located in the bone-dry central Somalia, the city of Galkayo is divided in half by warring militias and separatist regional governments that continuously clash in armed confrontations. Since MSF was forced to evacuate its international staff in 2008 due to insecurity, MSF’s Somali staff has carried on the work of providing medical care to people trapped in a conflict with nowhere else to turn.

Alert Article | October 16, 2009

Inside Jamaame Hospital, Somalia

There are few health care options for Somalis and very few international organizations present. Before MSF arrived in Jamaame, there were only traditional healers and shops that sold drugs.

Alert Article | September 30, 2009

Jamaame, Somalia: “These people have no other place to go”

Intense fighting among various armed groups claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands more in Somalia in the first half of 2009. The town of Jamaame, in a remote area of southern Somalia’s Lower Juba region, is one area where MSF has been able to provide ongoing medical services.

Voice from the Field | September 8, 2009

Somalia: "I realize I am one of the lucky ones"

In December 2008, 20 Somali students overcame huge odds and graduated from medical school in Mogadishu—the first batch to do so for almost two decades in the failed Horn of Africa state. Dr. Hafsa Abdurrahman Mohamed, 26, was one of those receiving a diploma from the capital’s Benadir University. This is her story.

Field News | August 27, 2009

Somalia: MSF Addresses Critical Needs Amid Violence

Intense fighting among various armed groups claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands more in Somalia in the first half of 2009. In addition, prolonged drought and food shortages worsened the already desperate situation of many of the country’s rural communities.

Field News | August 14, 2009

Somalia: MSF Clinic in Jilib Looted

Lifesaving healthcare provided to the community of Jilib in Lower Juba Valley, Somalia, is under threat following the looting of an MSF medical clinic.

Field News | July 9, 2009

Patient Story from Malta Detention Center: "Our lives are wasted here"

"So in August we tried one more time. We had been at sea for four days and four nights when our boat broke down. There were about 50 people on board. We were rescued by a Maltese ship and brought to Malta."

Field News | July 9, 2009

Malta: MSF Resumes Activities in Detention Center for Migrants, Asylum-Seekers

MSF has resumed work in Ta’kandja detention center for migrants and asylum-seekers in Malta after authorities committed to enable the provision of effective medical care and to ensure adequate living conditions for detainees. About 60 percent of patients MSF has treated there are from Somalia.

Press Release | July 7, 2009

Somalia: Majority of North Mogadishu Population Flees as Fighting Escalates

Nairobi/New York, July 7, 2009—The resumption of fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, has forced the majority of people living in the Yaqshid, Karan, and Abdul Azziz districts in the north of the city to flee, according to the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Field News | July 6, 2009

Somalia: MSF Runs Successful Measles Campaign in Spite of Conflict

Since April, an outbreak of measles has been sweeping through the town of Guri El and nearby areas in the Galgaduud region of South and Central Somalia. So far, MSF has treated 403 patients for measles-related complications in the area.

Field News | June 26, 2009

Somalia: Hijack of MSF-Rented Vehicle Ends in Tragic Death

In the early evening of Wednesday, June 24, 2009, a private vehicle rented by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was attacked in North Galcayo, Somalia as it returned from referring a patient from one MSF facility in the south of the city to another facility in the north.

Press Release | June 17, 2009

Growing Insecurity Forces MSF to Leave its Largest Health Center in Somalia

Nairobi/Brussels, June 17, 2009 — After nine years of providing health care for the population in Bakool region, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reached the regrettable conclusion that it does not have sufficient security to continue its work. This decision was MSF’s alone and the organization was not expelled by the authorities. MSF medical activities elsewhere in Somalia continue.

Field News | June 9, 2009

Somalia: MSF Treats War-Wounded Patients at Guri-El Hospital

MSF has treated dozens of war-wounded patients following fighting in the town of Webho in Central Somalia on June 5.

Field News | June 2, 2009

Somalia: MSF Treats Injured and Sick Patients As Violence Surges

As intense violence once again rocks Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, teams from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continue working throughout the country to provide lifesaving medical care.

Press Coverage | May 26, 2009

CNN International - Inside Africa: A Growing Refugee Crisis

Interview with MSF nurse Donna Canali about a recent spike in violence in war-ravaged Somalia that is causing a refugee crisis.

Press Coverage | May 19, 2009

PBS - WorldFocus: Thousands Flee Somalia to Kenya's Squalid Camps

Joke van Peteghem, head of MSF in Kenya, describes the deplorable conditions in Kenyan refugee camps, where thousands of Somalis have fled to.

Special Report | May 18, 2009

Briefing Paper - Dadaab: The Unacceptable Price of Asylum

An estimated 270,000 Somali refugees are enduring difficult living conditions at Dagahaley, Ifo, and Hagadera refugee camps located on the outskirts of Dadaab in northern Kenya.

Press Release | May 18, 2009

Somali Refugees Imperiled in Overcrowded Camps in Kenya

Nairobi/Geneva/New York, May 18, 2009 – More than 270,000 refugees who have fled war in Somalia are facing such alarming shortages of food, water, and adequate shelter in severely overcrowded camps in northern Kenya that many are considering returning to the Somali war zone, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today.

Field News | May 13, 2009

Somalia: MSF Treats More Than 90 War Wounded After 5 Days of Fighting

After a relative lull in fighting for the last two months in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, violence has erupted once again on the city's streets.

Press Release | April 28, 2009

Two Abducted Doctors Without Borders Staff Released in Somalia

Brussels/New York, April 28, 2009 – Two Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff, abducted on April 19 in the Bakool region of Somalia, were safely released today.

Field News | April 23, 2009

MSF Expresses Gratitude For Concern About Abducted Colleagues in Somalia

MSF wishes to express its gratitude for messages of concern from the public regarding the well-being of its two workers abducted in Somalia.

Press Release | April 23, 2009

MSF Team Finds 35 Somali and Ethiopian Dead on Yemen Coast

The dead were among a group who had departed two days prior from the port of Bosasso, Somalia, fleeing insecurity or extreme poverty on a smuggler’s boat. They were travelling in extremely harsh conditions across the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen.

Field News | April 21, 2009

MSF Staff Abducted in Somalia Reported To Be in Good Health

Contrary to earlier reports in the media, MSF confirms that, based on its own information, its two staff members held captive in Somalia are in good health and are eating well.

Field News | April 20, 2009

Two MSF Staff Abducted in Somalia

MSF confirms that two of its staff members were abducted yesterday in the Bakool region of Somalia.

Press Coverage | March 12, 2009

Current TV - Vanguard: Beach of Death

Current TV features a documentary about the deadly risks at sea Somali refugees and Ethiopian migrants are forced to take in search of a better life in Yemen, and the Doctors Without Borders medical teams helping those who survive.

Alert Article | March 11, 2009

Yemen: Refugees Risk Everything to Leave Somalia

Some 533 people survived the dangerous journey from northern Somalia across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen on smugglers’ boats during one week in December 2008. At least 28 passengers did not survive the trip. Desperate to escape the violence and hopelessness of Somalia, these passengers routinely arrive on Yemen’s southern coast after a two- to three-day journey. The risks they have taken to get there are huge: smugglers pack more than 100 people onto boats made for 30; and passengers arrive with reports of brutal treatment.

Field News | February 25, 2009

Intense Fighting in Mogadishu: MSF Treats 121 Wounded in 24 Hours

On Tuesday, February 24, scores of civilians were injured in a new surge in fighting in multiple locations in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. MSF medical teams have so far treated 121 casualties in Daynile Hospital, by far the largest influx of wounded people since MSF opened its surgical program in Daynile, located on the outskirts of Mogadishu, in September 2007.

Press Release | January 13, 2009

Wounded treated, civilians on the run following fighting in Galgaduud Region of Somalia

Nairobi, January 13, 2009 — A new surge in fighting in the Galgaduud region of central Somalia has led to many casualties and forced thousands to flee. Following heavy fighting between two groups last Sunday, Somali medical teams of the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have treated 46 casualties at Istarlin hospital in Guri El. This brings the total of wounded treated there since fighting broke out in the area more than two weeks ago to 86.

Top Ten Humantarian Crises | December 31, 2008

Somalia's Humanitarian Catastrophe Worsens

Already struggling to survive with little or no access to even basic health-care services, Somalis experienced some of the worst violence in over a decade in 2008, with people in the central and southern parts of the country living under increasingly deteriorating humanitarian conditions.

Special Report | December 22, 2008

Top Ten Humanitarian Crises of 2008

Massive forced civilian displacements, violence, and unmet medical needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan, and Pakistan, along with neglected medical emergencies in Myanmar and Zimbabwe, are some of the worst humanitarian and medical emergencies in the world, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported today in its annual list of the “Top Ten” humanitarian crises.

Press Coverage | December 16, 2008

CNN - Inside Africa: Dying to Escape Somalia

A representative for Doctors Without Borders describes conditions refugees face on voyages across the Gulf of Aden.

Field News | December 5, 2008

Refugees Continue to Arrive by Sea in Southern Yemen

Human smugglers from northern Somalia forced 114 people from a small fishing boat near the village of Al Qashaah on the southern coast of Yemen early on the morning of December 5. The passengers were Somali refugees fleeing war, destitution, and disease. Among them were ten children, including babies.

Field News | December 3, 2008

Twenty-Six Ethiopian and Somali Refugees Perish on Two-Day Journey Across Gulf of Aden

Since early Monday, December 1, of a presumed 420 people who have arrived on Yemen’s shores after traveling through the Gulf of Aden from Somalia, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has assisted 361.

Alert Article | December 1, 2008

The Year in Pictures 2008

Some of the world’s leading photojournalists worked alongside our medical teams throughout 2008, documenting our work and following the lives of our patients and their communities. At the same time, some of our own staff captured unforgettable moments that we are pleased to include in this Year in Pictures issue of Alert, which brings together some of the most moving and telling photographs of the crises to which we responded in 2008.

Alert Article | November 21, 2008

Dangerous Migration: Somali and Ethiopian Refugees Risk Everything to Leave

Every year, thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians risk their lives crossing the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. Hoping to escape the conflict and extreme poverty in their own countries, these desperate passengers are regularly abused and sometimes killed by the brutal smugglers they pay to get them across.

Press Release | November 1, 2008

Sixty Refugees Found Dead on Yemen Coast

November, 1, 2008, Awhar, Yemen --A team from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) assisting refugees in the south of Yemen found 39 dead bodies on the shore between Friday, October 31 and Sunday, November 2.

Press Release | October 2, 2008

Somalia: Surge in Wounded and Displaced as Violence Increases in Mogadishu

Nairobi/Geneva/New York, October 2, 2008 — The recent escalation in fighting in one of Mogadishu’s most populated residential areas has resulted in a surge of wounded civilians and has once again displaced thousands of people. The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is treating some of the wounded and is providing basic relief supplies to newly displaced people.

Field News | September 23, 2008

Somalia: Scores of Wounded Amid Fighting in Mogadishu

Since Friday, September 19, amid intensifying violence in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, there has been a sharp increase in the number of admissions of war wounded civilians to the MSF hospital in Daynile, located just outside the capital.

Press Coverage | September 23, 2008

CNN - World News Europe: MSF Assists Somali Refugees in Yemen

29 bodies found on Yemen beach - MSF assists survivors of deadly sea crossing.

Field News | September 2, 2008

Somalia: Unacceptable Security Risks Leave Thousands Without Care in Mogadishu

Due to a rise in violence, MSF has been forced to cease medical activities in one of its clinics in the Wardigley/Hodan area of Mogadishu, Somalia.

Special Report | June 26, 2008

NO CHOICE: Somali and Ethiopian Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants Crossing The Gulf of Aden

Thousands of people risk their lives every year to cross the Gulf of Aden to escape from conflict, violence, drought and poverty. 

Press Release | June 26, 2008

Trapped Somali Populations Need Immediate Life-Saving Assistance

Geneva/Nairobi, June 26, 2008 — The people of Somalia are currently facing a massive humanitarian crisis with unmet critical medical needs. In May alone, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams working in the Mogadishu suburbs of Hawa Abdi and Afgooye treated more than 2,500 children suffering from acute malnutrition with admissions to MSF nutritional programs doubling in April and doubling again in May.

Transcript | June 26, 2008

Trapped Somali Populations Need Immediate Life-saving Assistance

Press Teleconference: Nicolas de Torrente, executive director of MSF-USA, Benoit Leduc, MSF operations manager for Somalia, and Dr. Greg Elder, MSF deputy operations manager, discuss the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Somalia.

Press Release | May 7, 2008

MSF closes its medical project in Bossaso, Puntland State of Somalia

Nairobi/Barcelona, May 7, 2008 – Due to the kidnapping of two of its humanitarian workers last December, the international medical organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) decided to close on the 15th of April all its remaining medical and nutritional operations for the internally displaced people (IDP) living at the outskirts of Bossaso.

Field News | May 5, 2008

MSF Has Treated 850 People Wounded in Mogadishu Fighting Since January 2008

Between January 2008 and April 2008, the independent medical humanitarian organization MSF has treated more than 850 victims of conflict in Mogadishu, a majority of whom are civilians, at Dayniile hospital, located nine kilometers outside the capital. Among the 850 people, 455 were admitted for gunshots wounds and 231 for blast wounds consistent with explosive devices.

Alert Article | April 4, 2008

In Memoriam

Remembering three MSF staff who lost their lives in Somalia.

Press Release | April 3, 2008

MSF Closes Medical Project in Kismayo, Somalia

New York/Nairobi, Kenya, April 3, 2008—Following the killing of three staff members on January 28, the medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has decided to close its project in the southern city of Kismayo, Somalia. Although activities in Kismayo will end, MSF remains committed to providing medical care to the Somali people, therefore projects in other locations in Somalia will continue to operate.

Field News | March 20, 2008

MSF International Staff partially Returns to Selected Locations in Somalia

International staff with the independent medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have resumed their humanitarian work in several locations in Somalia. Following the brutal killings of three MSF aid workers on January 28 in the southern city of Kismayo, MSF suspended its international staff presence in the country. Programs continued to be run thanks to the dedication of MSF Somali staff members.

Field News | March 18, 2008

MSF National Staff Member Killed in Somalia

On March 18, a Somali national staff from the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) died at the hospital following severe injuries sustained during an attack on an MSF car the week before. Along with other cars travelling the same route, an MSF vehicle was attacked on March 12. At 1:00 PM local time several armed men opened fire on the vehicles, seriously wounding the MSF Somali staff member, who worked as a security guard. Three other MSF Somali colleagues were slightly injured in the incident.

Field News | March 14, 2008

MSF Worker Wounded in Somalia

A car belonging to the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was attacked on March 12 near the town of Balcad in Somalia. At 1 p.m. local time, several armed men opened fire on the vehicle, seriously wounding one of the MSF staff members, a security guard, who was taken to hospital where he is now recovering from a femur fracture. Three other employees were slightly injured in the incident.

Press Release | February 1, 2008

MSF is Shocked and Outraged by Attack on our Team in Somalia

New York/Nairobi, February 1, 2008 – The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is outraged by what appears to be an organized attack resulting in the killing of our three colleagues Victor Okumu, Damien Lehalle, and Mohmed Bidhaan, as well as two other people, on Monday January 28 in Kismayo, Somalia.

Press Release | January 28, 2008

Three MSF Aid Workers Killed in Serious Incident in Kismayo, Somalia

Nairobi/Amsterdam, January 28, 2008 - It is with great sadness that we confirm that three staff from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) were killed this morning in the Somali town of Kismayo, not far from the hospital where MSF works.

Field News | January 28, 2008

MSF aid workers involved in serious incident in Kismayo, Somalia

There has been a serious car incident involving several staff members from the medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The incident occurred in the Somali town of Kismayo.

Press Release | January 2, 2008

Two Doctors Without Borders Aid Workers Freed in Bossaso, Somalia

Bossaso, Somalia/Barcelona, January 2, 2008 — Mercedes García and Pilar Bauza, a Spanish doctor and an Argentinian nurse who work for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Somalia, were freed today at 2:30 PM local time. MSF is relieved that the two have been liberated after one week in captivity. Mercedes and Pilar are in a good health.

Press Release | December 28, 2007

Somalia: MSF Demands Access to the Area Where Two Expatriates Are Still in Captivity to Check Their Health Status

Bossaso, Somalia/Barcelona, December 28, 2007 - Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) demands that a medical vehicle from the organization be given access to the area where its two workers are detained to assess their health status. Mercedes García and Pilar Bauza, a Spanish doctor and an Argentinian nurse, have been in captivity for more than 48 hours in the area of  Bossaso, in Puntland.

Press Release | December 26, 2007

MSF Asks Somali Authorities for Safe and Immediate Release of Two Staff Members

Bossaso, Somalia/Barcelona, December 26, 2007 — After confirming that two of its staff members have been taken by force this morning in Bossaso, Somalia, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has urgently called for the immediate and safe release of its colleagues: Mercedes García, a Spanish doctor, and Pilar Bauza, an Argentinean nurse.  They were taken while on their way to a MSF feeding center set up to treat malnourished children near camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in Bossaso, in the Puntland region of Somalia.

Press Release | December 11, 2007

Somalia: Displaced Fleeing War in Mogadishu Face Humanitarian Crisis

Afgooye, Somalia/Geneva, December 11, 2007—Increased fighting inside Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has led to another exodus of the population, adding to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) who have already fled the conflict area since January 2007.

Press Release | November 7, 2007

Somalia: No Safety in Mogadishu

Nairobi, November 7, 2007 — While thousands of people flee the Somali capital Mogadishu, the medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is gravely concerned about the remaining population as violence intensifies in the city.

Press Release | October 31, 2007

Increasing Incidence of Visceral Leishmaniasis in War-Torn Somalia

New York, NY, October 31, 2007 - In a study published today in the inaugural issue of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical teams detail a dramatic increase in visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala azar, in the Bakool region of south-central Somalia. The current conflict in Somalia and the lack of health infrastructure makes it both difficult to address the problem and to assess the true magnitude of the impact of the disease.

Press Release | August 20, 2007

Access To Medical Care Dangerously Scarce In and Around Mogadishu, Somalia

Nairobi, 20 August 2007 — Access to medical care and assistance for civilians and displaced persons in and around the Somali capital of Mogadishu has decreased alarmingly in the past months, according to the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF is urgently calling upon all parties to the conflict to respect the need for medical staff to work unimpeded and for residents and displaced people in and around Mogadishu to have safe access to medical care.

Field News | July 25, 2007

Mogadishu, Somalia: New wave of violence keeps people from seeking medical care

Last May, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) opened a pediatric clinic for children under five in the Halwadag district of Mogadishu. Since then, the clinic has been extended and increasing numbers of children have been admitted for treatment. Now, however, an increase in insecurity is keeping many children from receiving care.

Press Release | July 23, 2007

Situation Worsens For Newly Displaced Families in Somalia

Geneva/New York, July 23, 2007 — Four months into the present crisis triggered by a major wave of violence in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, most of the 400,000 displaced people from there (398,000 according to the United Nations) have been unable to return to their homes and remain highly dependent on assistance provided by the few aid organizations present, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today.

Field News | July 11, 2007

MSF staff member killed in Somalia

It is with great sadness that MSF learned of the death of Ibrahim Abdi Isse, a hospital watchman for MSF in Beledweyne, who was killed while off duty. The tragic death of Ibrahim Abdi Isse is not linked to his activities with MSF. Sources indicate that the killing was the result of a personal dispute.

Voice from the Field | June 29, 2007

Somalia: Covering basic health needs in Afgooye and Hawa Abdi

On April 17, 2007 MSF launched an emergency medical response in Afgooye, Lower Shabelle Region, about 30 kilometers west of Mogadishu. Due to insecurity in the area, MSF decided to dispatch a team of senior MSF Somali staff from Nairobi and the Dinsor Health Center to evaluate the needs of thousands of displaced people who poured into the town following major fighting in Mogadishu.

Field News | June 9, 2007

One Civilian and Two MSF Staff Members Victims of Shooting Incident in Mogadishu, Somalia

On Tuesday, June 5, a car with driver, hired by the international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was involved in a shooting incident in Mogadishu, Somalia, which resulted in the driver of the rental car being killed, and one MSF staff member wounded.

Voice from the Field | June 6, 2007

Voices from Somalia: Stories from those who fled Mogadishu

In March and April 2007, heavy fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia, resulted in a large number of civilian casualties and thousands of people fleeing the capital. The following stories, gathered by MSF, come from people displaced from Mogadishu who arrived at MSF's hospital in South Galcayo in May.

Voice from the Field | May 8, 2007

Somalia: "What I saw when I was in Afgooye was a desperate humanitarian situation."

People have been fleeing Mogadishu since the start of the clashes, but the last month has seen a real increase of people arriving in the Hiraan, Galgadud and Bay regions and also in Afgooye. We think that there are about 10 to 12,000 families who have fled to Afgooye from Mogadishu, with an average of 6 people per family. They're mostly women and children, there are very few men.

Press Release | April 24, 2007

Somalia – Tens of Thousands Fleeing Violence in Mogadishu Face Critical Humanitarian Needs

New York, April 24, 2007 – In the last weeks, tens of thousands of displaced Somalis have fled Mogadishu following a resurgence of violence affecting the capital city of Somalia, already home to many displaced people. This recent spell of violence has put on roads entire columns of people attempting to move to safer areas of the country such as Lower Shabelle region, Hiiraan region, Galguduud region, and Bay region.

Press Release | April 11, 2007

Cholera Epidemic and Several Weeks of Intense Fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia

New York, 11 April 2007 – Since cholera was confirmed in Mogadishu on March19, 2007, the international humanitarian medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has treated more than 800 patients. However the recent worsening violence is making it increasingly difficult for patients to access MSF's cholera treatment center (CTC), which opened two weeks ago. The fighting is also preventing MSF national staff from reaching other areas of the city.

Open Letters | January 17, 2007

Somalia: The Need for Independent Humanitarian Aid

On January 17, 2007, David Michalski, MSF head of mission in Somalia, delivered the following speech at the "Securing Somalia's Future: Options for Diplomacy, Assistance, and Security Engagement," conference on Somalia hosted by the Center for Strategic International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC.

Press Release | December 28, 2006

After a Week of Intense Fighting in Somalia, MSF Extremely Concerned About the Security of Medical Staff and Safety of Patients

Nairobi/Geneva, December 28, 2006—MSF is gravely concerned for the safety of our staff and patients following a serious incident occurring in an MSF medical facility in Dinsor (Bay region, Somalia) on December 27. After taking control of Dinsor, representatives of military forces entered the MSF medical facility, pressured the Somali medical staff employed by MSF, and confiscated all inpatient confidential medical files.

Field News | November 25, 2006

SOMALIA: Floods Increase Humanitarian Needs

Heavy rains in the last few weeks have caused flooding of the Juba and Shebelle rivers in southern Somalia, bringing devastation to much of the riverside areas, and highly increasing the needs in one of the most densely populated regions in the country.

Press Release | November 22, 2006

Flooding Increases Humanitarian Needs in Somalia

Nairobi, November 22, 2006 - Heavy rains over the last few weeks have caused flooding of the Juba and Shebelle rivers in southern Somalia, bringing devastation to much of the surrounding areas and aggravating humanitarian needs in one of the most densely populated regions in the country. Thousands of families have seen their homes destroyed and thousands more are displaced, including hundreds of families trapped in pockets of higher ground.

Field News | September 15, 2006

Responding to Violence in Somalia

MSF took over responsibility for Istarlin Hospital in the town of Guri El in early 2006. Since then, 21 percent of the admissions to the hospital have been violence-related. Many of its beds are occupied by patients with disturbingly similar stories.

Voice from the Field | September 9, 2005

Pharmacist Anab Mohamud Mohamed
"In Somalia there is no freedom because guns point at us permanently"

Anab Mohamud Mohamed is a Somali pharmacist who has been working with MSF in Somalia since 1997. In late June, and thanks to a special visa (Somalia is stateless and its citizens do not have valid passports to leave the country), she visited MSF's office in Barcelona where she shared her views about the situation in Somalia.

Field News | September 9, 2005

Special Feature:
Somalia: Caught in the Storm

Since 1991, Somalia has been a state with no government. Fourteen years of conflict have left the country with enormous humanitarian needs and a high level of everyday violence. MSF was running health care projects in the capital, Mogadishu, as well as northern Somalia when war broke out, having begun working in the country in 1986.

Field News | September 9, 2005

Special Feature:
Violence Stalks Civilians in Somalia

Roda Musa lies on a bed, cradling her arm. Her flowing, colorful clothes are a stark contrast to the white plaster that covers her from hand to shoulder. She looks to be in her early twenties, but her face lines with anger when she explains why she has found herself surrounded by other Somali women in the trauma ward of the MSF-run Galkayo hospital in the north of the town.

Field News | September 9, 2005

Special Feature:
Saving Lives in An Abandoned Land

It's like it's never going to end. Hundreds of women are walking single file into the huge compound, lining up at its remote end. They're all carrying children and they're all hoping for food. It's a scene that repeats itself every month in the tiny village of Istorte in Somalia's Bakool region. The women and children are here for the nutritional screening, hoping that they will qualify for extra food rations.

Field News | September 9, 2005

Special Feature:
Weathering the Storm: Humanitarian Aid Amid Somalia's Chaos

What started as a disagreement over prices in the market degenerated into a deadly battle because the two men involved were from rival clans. Some 18 people were killed and more than 37 injured in the resulting gunfight.

Voice from the Field | July 15, 2005

Colin McIlreavy, MSF Head of Mission in Somalia

The continuing insecurity in many areas and a lack of international attention has resulted in a dearth of meaningful emergency assistance, leaving many desperate segments of society abandoned and all but forgotten. This is an interview with Colin McIlreavy, MSF head of mission in Somalia for the past year.

Press Release | June 26, 2003

Humanitarian Assistance in Somalia Impaired

Field News | September 28, 1998

News for the Week of September 28, 1998

Somalia