Interview with National Director for SOS Children Somalia
01/02/2008
Ahmed Ibrahim, the Somalia director for SOS Children was born and brought up in Mogadishu and lived there until 2004. He is now based in Nairobi but makes frequent visits to Somalia and Somaliland. He was in Mogadishu at the end of December and in this interview told us what it was like.
What is the situation at the SOS Children's Village Mogadishu?
I went there on 22 December, straight to project. It is still empty (it was evacuated in mid December after heavy shelling) with just a few security guards. Many of the staff were arrested in December. Some had already been released and I managed to get the rest released. The soldiers had searched the village for weapons and even when they found nothing the staff were arrested.
The families are temporarily resettled in other rented houses in different parts of Mogadishu. They are doing fine despite living conditions. They have no running water or electricity. But they are not the worst and they are surviving. They are not all in one place. That was discouraged. In Mogadishu there is no safe place. And as we don't know when the crisis will be over we decided to scatter them through Mogadishu. So that if one place is attacked they can move in with another family somewhere else until we can find them a new place."
Nothing has changed in Mogadishu since December. You might find one place where businesses are operating and people moving around, then another place where everything is quiet, no-one moves around and the army is in control. Things are getting worse around the project area. The Ethiopians are still based at the Pasta Factory and the insurgents are also still around. It is not possible to get to the project using the road because it is blocked. So I had to go through small roads, taking much longer.
Was it dangerous?
Very dangerous because sometimes you cross no-man's land and there are snipers who try to kill you.
I went to Mogadishu to negotiate the release of the staff and then to dialogue with government officials, to make sure that such a thing will not happen again. So far I have not been able to talk to the government, but I had a meeting with a senior security official who apologised for the arrests and promised it would not happen again.
What about the hospital? Is it open again?
The hospital is still closed because no one can get to it. The staff are eager to go back but we are still not sure it is safe, especially getting there. The elders have approached SOS asking if the hospital can be reopened. SOS has asked if they (the elders) can negotiate with the army in order to get the road reopened. But we are in the middle. These guys fire from behind - the others reply. So we have to make sure that the place is protected so that we can operate in safety before we reopen. I am told that the elders are already working on it. They cannot see the project closed and people are suffering.
So at the moment there is no guarantee of safety for staff and families?
There is no guarantee. Even when I was there one of the security guards left the village to go home and was shot dead by snipers.
Is it realistic in your opinion that the facilities might reopen soon?
Possibly. First, we have the community leaders' initiative - that is positive and I trust them. Second, the prime minister (a new one) is now in Mogadishu. He preaches peace and dialogue and has an open door. We have started lobbying within the government and it is positive. So, bringing together all these things, yes, there is a possibility we can reopen the project.
Can you guarantee security?
I have heard indirectly that the opposition (the insurgents) has agreed to guarantee the security of the project. When our children and staff moved out of the project the neighbours moved out as well and now the place is completely empty. They have seen that the hospital and school are closed. They should not have used the project as a shield - that was wrong. But otherwise they have always left us alone. The elders are trying to get a security guarantee from the government. But we can't reopen either the hospital or the village till we get security guarantees.
Even when we get that we will not immediately open the village. First we will open the hospital and monitor the situation.
But as the school is closed children are being deprived of their education?
That's true. When I was in Mogadishu the students were calling to ask me when the school will open, but we can't open until we are sure they will be safe.
You're in touch with Mogadishu often?
I will soon travel back again to talk to the government representatives to find the way forward. I am afraid that the situation will just continue - it has been like this for over a year. We have to have a plan B.
One doctor called me the other day and said that some people came to his door with a patient. They had taken him to a private hospital but were told to put $500 on the table before they could do anything. They don't even have a dollar. The Red Cross hospital and the Medina Hospital are mostly dealing with casualties and they are overflowing. He said, 'Ahmed, what can we do?'
I need to discuss the way forward. How can we keep our doctors doing nothing when they are really needed?
Can the international community do anything?
Our main partner ECHO is concerned and we have to have a meeting.
What is the general situation of children in Mogadishu?
What I can say is that children and mothers are the most affected. Our school used to have 550 students. It is now a month that they have been deprived of education. When I went to Mogadishu I noticed that very few children are able to go to school. And thousands of people have moved out of Mogadishu and the IDPs do not have schools. So you find the children lacking education, medical care etc. The youth have lost hope. The Mogadishu University had 5000 students. Now, who knows? What I can say is that the case of children and youth is terrible in Mogadishu. I am afraid that if the youth continue to lose hope many more will start this deadly journey to Yemen (by small boats, many of which sink on the way). According to UNICEF 40,000 used to attend school in Mogadishu, but without school what will they do? Already the figures are increasing of those who journey across the ocean.
Without the SOS Hospital what is the consequence for the people of Mogadishu?
It's clear. When I was in Mogadishu I was interviewed by BBC radio Somali section on how the health sector was affected by the crisis and was also interviewed on Horn Afrique, a well known radio station in Mogadishu, when people phone in with personal opinions. One hundred per cent who called were in favour of SOS. They talked about the consequences of the hospital being closed. There was a mother who was born at the hospital in 1991 and has now had her baby in SOS. They appealed to the warring parties and to civil groups to intervene so that the hospital could open again.
What was your impression of Mogadishu? You have lived there through very bad times. How does it compare to say 15 years ago (during the civil war)?
What I can say is Mogadishu is facing its most difficult time. Part of the town is completely abandoned. It seems a place deserted by the people, a place which is dead in terms of education and medical facilities. The town is getting worse and worse. As a person who has known it through all bad times I can say the town is really terrible in terms of livelihood, living costs (it is expensive) and security. Anything can happen. You can be arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time as we saw.
Do you have hope?
We never give up hope. Always we have hope, and the signs are good - the support of the elders and the government wishing to have dialogue. This gives us hope.
Relevant Countries: Somalia.