Global Healthbeat: Somalia, Country of War
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
JC Jones MA RN
We received an email from a reader in Somalia: "Can you help me. Somalia is a country of war."
War is the ultimate public health crisis, and Somalia, that beautiful strip on the coast of East Africa, home to ancient mariners, frankincense and myrrh has been paying far too long.
Somalia facts:
- Somalia has been without an effective central government for 16 years
- Warlord fighting, famine and disease have left 1 million dead - that is 10% of the population
- Life expectancy: 45 years
- Since April, 2007 the capital Mogadishu has been barraged by fighting between government forces and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU)
- The bloody struggle has resulted in yet another mass migration of the internally displaced. Access is limited, reporting is spotty, electricity is unreliable, but our understanding is that 400,000 are displaced. War crimes against civilians are reported by the UN.
- we understand they are without food, water, shelter and need IMMEDIATE humanitarian relief
- human rights abuses against women and children are rampant
- Somalia is now the world's most dangerous place for Minority groups.
Healthline readers - let's help our friends in Somalia. Let's call, write letters, post YouTube videos bringing attention to perhaps the most dangerous place on earth. Who knows what our reader had to go to just to write to us. Let us do whatever we can to extend our hands back...
Thank you, Abdurahman for use of photo Welcome - Have a Deer.
7 Comments:
At Wed Jun 13, 12:00:00 AM 2007,
Bertalan said…
Great post JC! Have you seen the movie Blood Diamond?
I'll promote this article among my friends and fellow medstudents.
At Wed Jun 13, 03:31:00 PM 2007,
JC Jones MA RN said…
Thanks, Bertalan. We are going to watch Blood Diamond this weekend & also read Ishmael Baeh's book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Ishmael was born in Sierra Leone...we are kicking off a whole campaign in support of UN World Refugee Day June 20. Thank you for your support of our friends in Somalia.
At Thu Jun 14, 10:47:00 AM 2007,
JC Jones MA RN said…
Our reader writes:
hallow
thank you to send me a massege real the setation of somali is so badly
we do now how to life
pleace how can you help me?
Our response to her is:
Can you tell us more about your specific situation? Are you near an NGO we can get you in touch with? We are trying to raise awareness in the international community. We will continue to advocate on your behalf. Please stay in touch and let us know what we can do. The international community will be meeting in Mogadishu on July 20. We understand the situation is critical...
So far we have reached out to the Somali immigrant community in California and Somali model Iman. We hope the Healthline community will help us rally aid to help the people of Somalia.
At Wed Nov 21, 03:27:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
hi, i live in the uk and i am a student. i was born in somalia just after the war started in 1991 and i think i was lucky to get out of somalia but still there are those who were unfortune to escape and live in fear to this day. i would like to know what you trying to do to help them and how you trying to raise this improtant issue across the world as much as america hates it.
At Sat Jan 05, 03:03:00 AM 2008,
Anonymous said…
HEllow freinds,
This picture is not from somalia but it is from Somaliland Republic (it locates in the north of the failed state of Somalia)although it is not yet internatilnaly recognized.
it is a peacefull place and stable.
I am the driver of this vihile, the villege is (Da´ar Buruq) Between Hargeisa and Berbera.
However, I am with u to help our brothers we have the same blood and but in deffrent cauntry and goverments.
thanks for your support of Somalis
At Tue Jan 08, 01:34:00 PM 2008,
jc@healthline.com said…
Thanks for the update Anonymous! So you are saying you are the driver of the vehicle in the picture? Fascinating...Glad to know all is peaceful in Somaliland Republic and hope that spreads to peace spreads to neighboring Somalia...we understand our friend is now out of the country, but that does not mean she and her family are safe.
At Sat Feb 16, 11:50:00 AM 2008,
Anonymous said…
First of all no country is perfect. every country has its ups and downs. Nobody wants to show Somalia in a good light its more juicer to talk about people dying. In a country there are good and bad places. everyone wants to look at the bigger picture. Things are not always what they seem.
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