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By Cassandra Clifford
Tuesday, July 14 1:55 am EST
The fragmented country of Somalia is no stranger to conflict and the
last two years of fighting has increasingly taken a toll on the lives of
everyone in the country, especially the children. Somalia is quite
literally a raging battle ground, as fighting in the country continues,
as insurgents exchange fire with the Somali government, Ethiopian troops
and African Union peacekeepers.
The spiraling downfall of Somalia began in January 1991, when former
President Siad Barre was overthrown, which has since left the country
without any form of an operational government. The lawless country has
spent the almost two decades locked in endless fighting, between various
Islamic insurgent coalitions and government forces, warlords, and the
government.
It had seemed like the insurgent attacks against the government were to
slowing down in the early part of 2009, however since May the attacks
have resumed in the capital, Mogadishu, and other areas. Last month, on
June 18th, a suicide bomber killed Somalia’s Security Minister and at
least 30 other people 150 miles to the north of Mogadishu, making it the
deadliest suicide bomb attack in the countries history. The recent
fighting has culminated in the deaths of hundreds of Somalis and the
displacement of hundreds of thousands. In June 2009, some 170,000 were
displaced from Mogadishu (an autonomous region, which is part of the
Somali republic; however it remains unrecognized by any country or
international organization since its inception in 1991). According to
local human rights groups, there have been 397 deaths, and some 1,738
injured since 7 May 2007. However the current displacements are not the
country’s worst, as inNovember 2007, the number of refugees hit one
million, according to the United Nations. Most of the displaced have
fled Somalia, mainly from the capital Mogadishu residing in Somaliland.
To see more on the history of the conflict in Somalia see the conflict
timeline from 2000 here.
Women and children have been especially vulnerable in the city as
looting and rapes are prevalent. The number of orphans continues to
rise, and the situation for them and other vulnerable children remains
desolate and is increasingly critical with no government support and
assistance for them. Additionally aid workers remain targets, and piracy
off the country’s coast continues. While addition the naval forces have
continued to work to eliminate ship seizures and escort World Food
Program and other Aid deliveries, it continues to significantly impact
the aid children and families in dire need.
Not only is Somalia a lawless land of conflict, but it is one of the
worlds harshest places to live environmentally, and the countries strong
culture of pastoralism (nomadic way of life) on increases the impact on
a child’s chances of survival. A Somali child has less chance of living
to adulthood than a child in any other part of the world. The high child
mortality rates are rooted in a number of causes, mainly due to
primarily preventable diseases, dehydration, malnutrition, lack of safe
water, and poor sanitation. Not only is a child’s future hindered by
health, but only one in five children actually receive any form of
education. Many children are left the primary or sole caretakers, and
with low literacy rates the future is far from hopeful for most.
(UNICEF)
Last November, I brought you the piece, Have We Forgotten Somalia?, and
it appears that we have as children continue to live in the country
dubbed by UNICEF as ‘the worst place in the world for children’. The
country’s future state continues to remain a volatile hotbed for
violence, and the future of the countries children remains bleak.
Source: Foreign Policy Blogs - July 14, 2009
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