Author: web dessk

NAIROBI – As he concluded a five-day visit to Somalia and Kenya on Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, called on global leaders to spare no efforts in assisting countries in the Horn of Africa to break the cycle of conflict and climate crises.

 

As people try to avert famine and seek safety, many have been forced to flee. According to the UNHCR-led Protection and Return Monitoring Network, in Somalia, the number of people displaced internally primarily by drought this year alone is nearing 1 million, with another nearly 500,000 displaced due to conflict and insecurity.

 

Many who have already been forced to flee violence have been displaced yet again by the worst drought in 40 years, brought on by four failed rainy seasons, with a fifth predicted. Globally, such extreme weather events are intensifying and becoming more frequent due to the climate crisis.

 

Despite urgent calls from humanitarian agencies active in Somalia, the catastrophic and multifaceted consequences are largely unnoticed as the world’s attention remains elsewhere.

 

While in Somalia, Grandi met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and expressed solidarity with the people and government of Somalia at this difficult moment. “Under the leadership of Somalia’s authorities, we will continue to step up collective efforts to save lives. UNHCR teams are on the ground doing what they can to help, but we’ve secured funds to cover just a small percentage of the people in need,” Grandi said.

 

He also reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment to supporting the country to pursue solutions for those who have been displaced.

 

In Galkacyo, Grandi met families who had trekked for days to reach displacement sites and heard of the heart-breaking choices they are making for survival, such as leaving behind loved ones or selling their assets to feed their children, and the particular consequences for women and children. “These families are the least responsible for global warming, yet they are being hit the hardest. It is tragic and it is shameful, and the world should not look away,” he said.

 

In Kenya, Grandi visited refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma, meeting with local and county authorities, host community members and partners.

 

In Dadaab, where Somali refugees have been living in camps for more than 30 years, Grandi saw first-hand how the drought is impacting displacement.

 

More than 50,000 Somali refugees who have arrived in recent years are in dire need of support. Some 20,000 have arrived this year alone. UNHCR is providing basic assistance and supporting local Kenyans with the provision of water and other aid.

 

“The drought impact in Kenya is not in the headlines, but it deserves as much attention from the international community,” Grandi said. “We must get the resources to do more for these arrivals from Somalia and affected Kenyans too.”

 

Grandi met with Kenyan President William Ruto and reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment to work closely with his new administration on protection and solutions for refugees as well as to encourage more development support to host communities.

 

Kenya has provided international protection to refugees from across the region for more than three decades and currently hosts over half a million refugees and asylum-seekers.

 

In their meeting, Grandi and President Ruto agreed that allowing refugees to work and integrate with their host communities is the best option to end dependency on humanitarian aid.

 

“We have the opportunity for Kenya to be a leader in adopting a settlement model and to achieve sustainable solutions for refugees. We must take advantage of it,” Grandi said. “I call on the international community to support this promising approach.”

 

In Kalobeyei settlement, he saw how much the investments in development, such as the International Finance Corporation’s Kakuma-Kalobeyei Challenge Fund, an innovative private sector partnership, have already benefitted refugees and, more importantly, the host community.

 

“Since Kalobeyei was launched in 2016, it is impressive to see how much progress has been made in development, livelihoods and provision of social services, despite various challenges, despite COVID-19,” Grandi said. “We can’t let the momentum stall and are ready to continue our support to Kenya.”

 

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

A U.S. military airstrike has targeted al-Shabab terrorists who were attacking Somali National Army forces, killing two, according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

 

The strike Sunday was near Buulobarde, Somalia, 218 km northwest of Mogadishu.

 

AFRICOM says its initial assessment is that two terrorists who were actively attacking Somali forces were killed, and that no civilians were injured or killed.

 

“Al-Shabab is the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaida network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests,” the command said in a statement Tuesday, adding that it would continue “to take action to prevent this malicious terrorist group from planning and conducting attacks on civilians.”

 

The U.S. strike comes as al-Shabab launched two major attacks in Somalia this month.

 

A siege at the Tawakal Hotel on Sunday in the southern coastal city of Kismayo killed at least 11 people, and in early October, a triple bombing in the town of Beledweyne killed at least 20 people.

The Somali National Army and allied militia in central Somalia have launched an offensive against the terror group.

 

Abdisalam Guled, the director of the Mogadishu-based security company Eagle Ranges Services, told VOA that al-Shabab may have been trying to target government forces that had been meeting at the hotel to plan the offensive against the terror group.

 

Source: Voice of America

Djibouti this week inaugurated a research observatory to study the impact of climate change. The observatory, established with the assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will help the country prone to drought and famine to better manage water and food resources that are increasingly under threat from global warming. The new facility, the Regional Research Observatory on the Environment and Climate (RROEC), will use nuclear and related techniques to produce data and climate models that can inform political decisions on climate adaptation and resilience for the country, and potentially for the whole East African region.

 

“Thanks to the IAEA and other partners, this Observatory became a reality – we are able to put in place reliable and operational models for climate change adaptation and lasting resilience,” said the President of the Republic of Djibouti and Head of the Government Ismaïl Omar Guelleh during the opening ceremony on 23 October, which was attended also by President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other high-level representatives from the region including from Comoros, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

 

Facing water scarcity due to low levels of precipitation, Djibouti’s population of one million is highly vulnerable to climate change and the country imports nearly all of its food. Higher temperatures, increased aridity, water scarcity and rising sea levels are expected to continue to affect the country.

 

The Observatory was inaugurated at the Climate Change and Research Conference held from 23 to 25 October, where scientists, students, researchers and decision makers from the East African region discussed regional environmental and climate issues. Over three days, they shared best practices and identified opportunities to initiate collaboration under the newly opened RROEC. The Observatory will in the future build and extend capacity to the whole East African region, where food scarcity caused by changes in climate has become a widespread challenge.

 

Some of the factors causing this situation are chronic droughts, floods, tropical cyclones and pest invasions. According to available research, if poor seasonal rainfall continues throughout this year, an unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa, combined with famine, could be imminent. Also, if the temperature rises by 2°C compared with pre-industrial levels, over 90% of East African coral reefs are projected to be severely degraded by bleaching, and African marine and freshwater fisheries will be significantly threatened.

 

“The burden of climate change falls disproportionately on the most vulnerable among us. Here in Djibouti, and across Africa, higher temperatures, droughts, and rising sea levels threaten lives and livelihoods,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi during his opening speech. Referring to RROEC, he said: “I am delighted that the IAEA was able to make it happen. But we will not stop here, we will continue to assist Djibouti to achieve its priorities including its climate change adaptation goals.”

 

The RROEC will use information from isotopes — elements with specific physical and chemical properties — to produce climate models and mapping tools. It will track, among others, the origin of air masses that bring rain, groundwater replenishment rates, and the movement of water through the hydrological cycle. Such information can be used by governments and aid agencies to assist with the management and prevention of water crises or other environmental crises.

 

For example, isotopes data can be used to produce groundwater vulnerability maps that can inform decision makers about water availability in the aquifers. This information can support management of aquifers, increase awareness about water quality and scarcity, and improve warning systems on droughts and floods in Djibouti and the Horn of Africa.

 

RROEC has been built with the help of the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme, which supported training programmes, expert activities and the supply of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. The Observatory is operated by local staff, who have been trained by the IAEA on various nuclear applications related to climate change and adaptation matters.

 

Environmental protection and climate change is one of the areas identified in the Country Programme Framework signed between Djibouti and the IAEA for the years 2022–2027. This framework is the reference for the medium-term planning of technical cooperation between a Member State and the IAEA, and identifies priority areas where the transfer of nuclear technology through the technical cooperation programme will be directed to support national development priorities.

 

Between 2012 and 2020, the IAEA supported 120 countries in climate adaptation projects, many of them in Africa. The Agency attends the annual United Nations Climate Change Conferences, more commonly referred to the Conference of the Parties, or COP, and organizes several events to highlight how nuclear technology and applications contribute to tackling climate change. The next COP is starting on 6 November in Egypt. You can read more here.

 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency

Mogadishu President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, held a farewell meeting with the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary for Somalia James Swan in the State House in the capital Mogadishu.

 

The Head of State lauded his role in supporting Somalia’s governance specially drought response and anti-terror combat.

 

A presidential statement says the president reaffirmed federal government’s commitment of promoting cooperation with countries across global

 

For his part, James Swan who thanked the President for this meeting indicated how happy he was with the cooperation shown by the government and the Somali people, while he was carrying out his diplomatic duties.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency

Somalia’s operational context remains challenging due to insecurity, political tensions, and a climate crisis that has pushed parts of central and southern Somalia at a risk of famine. In 2022, 1.4 million Somalis have been internally displaced due to drought and insecurity. The formation of the new federal government finally culminated with the unveiling of 75- member Federal Council of Ministers. However, deep rooted political differences between the federal and state governments threaten to undo hard-earned political gains. The presence of armed actors and the escalation in armed-conflict continue to hinder humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable. UNHCR’s operational footprint in Somalia dates back thirty years. Today, UNHCR is present in ten countrywide locations. UNHCR provides protection and assistance to the refugees and asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), vulnerable host community members, and refugee returnees. The operation works closely with the Federal Government of Somalia.

 

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Djibouti Defense Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, Abdulqadir Mohamed Noor had a fruitful meeting with his Djiboutian counterpart Hassan Omar Mohamed (Burhan) and Djibouti’s Armed Forces boss Sakarie Sheikh Ibrahim.

 

Mr Nor thanked the government and the people of Djibouti for their support and dedication to the people and the government of Somalia.

 

The minister pointed out the importance of the two brotherly countries to cooperate closely in the eradication of terrorism to achieve in peace, development and prosperity between the two nations and across the region.

 

For his part, Mr Burhan said that the government and the people of Djibouti are fully supporting the struggle of the people and the forces of the Somali National Army are clearing out Al-Shabaab terrorists from the country.

 

He furthermore underlined that the peace and stability of Somalia is the foundation for the peace of the region and the world “Therefore, Djibouti State is committed to help the government of Somalia in ensuring security and fighting terrorism,” he asserted.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency