Stranded outside Dadaab

No end in sight for forgotten 20 year conflict

NEW YORK, 1 June 2011 - Grave violations of children’s rights are taking place every day in Somalia as fighting continues in a conflict the world has largely forgotten.

Reports by WHO of a 46 per cent increase in weapon-related injuries to children under age 5 in Mogadishu in May 2011, underscore the vulnerability of Somali children in this ongoing conflict.

27 May 2011: Mozambique has a large population of long-term refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, concentrated in the Maratane Refugee Camp in Nampula Province. The population has recently nearly doubled in size due to an influx of Ethiopian and Somali asylum seekers trying to enter South Africa, who have been among some of the most vulnerable groups in need of life saving assistance.

WASHINGTON — The United States said Friday it is offering nearly $15 million for food for Somalis hit by drought and political unrest.

"The United States has approved a $14.5 million contribution to the World Food Programme to benefit Somalis in need of food assistance," Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, told reporters.

"The United States is also staging approximately 19,000 metric tons of food aid and it's prepositioning sites worldwide in order to be prepared for additional emergency food assistance in the weeks and the months to come," he added.

GENEVA – At least 10 people have lost their lives in a tragic boat smuggling incident on the Gulf of Aden after a two-day journey from Somalia to Yemen.

NAIROBI, 31 May 2011 (IRIN) - Hundreds of children younger than five have been wounded in the latest round of fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, accounting for almost half of all trauma cases in May, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

In a press statement issued on 31 May, WHO said recent data showed that the main causes of death among under-fives were burns, chest injuries and internal haemorrhaging caused by blast injuries, shrapnel and bullets.

Nearly one in two reported weapon-related injuries is a child younger than five

Analyses

► Child soldiers in the Horn – cause to remain at attention!
► Kenya and the International Criminal Court
Role and protection of human rights defenders
► Privatization of security in Somalia
Implications for the Horn of Africa