Mohammed Omer Mulla

The Federal Government of Somalia and aid agencies operating in the country have today launched the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and called on donors to provide sufficient and early funding to sustain aid operations in Somalia in 2019. The response plan seeks $1.08 billion to provide life-saving assistance and livelihood support to 3.4 million Somalis affected by conflict, climatic shocks and displacement across the country. The improvements in the food security situation due to good 2018 Gu rains, the sustained humanitarian response throughout 2018 and a more focused definition of needs have resulted in a 32 per cent decline in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, from 6.2 million in 2018 down to 4.2 million in 2019. However, continued conflict and climatic shocks threaten to reverse these gains. In addition, humanitarian needs remain above the pre-crisis level from two years ago. Over 1.5 million people, mainly IDPs and rural populations, face acu

The  US military  said it carried out an airstrike in Somalia that killed 52 al-Shabaab extremists, in response to an attack on Somali forces. Al-Shabaab controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. The group claimed responsibility for the  deadly attack on a luxury hotel  complex in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. Al-Shabaab controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. The group claimed responsibility for the  deadly attack on a luxury hotel  complex in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. A US  Africa  Command statement said the airstrike occurred on Saturday near Jilib in Middle Juba region. The US said Somali forces had come under attack by a “large group” of the al-Qaida-linked extremists. The statement did not say how many Somali forces were killed or wounded. There were no