Humanitarian Analysis

Nigerians on the run as military combat Boko Haram

KANO, 22 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Tens of thousands of residents of northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State have fled their homes - thousands of them into neighbouring Niger and Cameroon - following airstrikes by Nigerian fighter jets on Boko Haram (BH) camps from 15 May. full report

Analysis: How to avoid a fourth year of serious flooding in Pakistan

 SUKKUR, 21 May 2013 (IRIN Asia) - Since 2010, monsoon rain in Pakistan has brought with it some of the biggest seasonal flooding in living memory. Two months from this year’s rains, weather forecasters are already predicting above normal rainfall and in some areas standing water has yet to drain away from last year’s monsoon. full report

Analysis: Helping local aid workers build meaningful careers

 DAKAR, 13 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - There has been much talk of decentralizing the northern-centric humanitarian aid sector to give more power to southern staff, but how much has changed over recent years? full report

Analysis: Somali security sector reform

 NAIROBI, 13 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - At Gashandiga barracks in Mogadishu, Somalia, Pvt Mohamed Sheikh Issak pulled back his military fatigues to show his scarred right shoulder. “I was shot by Al-Shabab when they still controlled half of Mogadishu,” he told IRIN. “I was at home, but they knew I was a soldier.” full report

Analysis: Getting governments to cough up for DRR

 AQABA, 9 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - Investing in preparation for potential disasters is a “no brainer”, Elizabeth Longworth, director of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), told a recent disaster risk reduction (DRR) conference in Aqaba, Jordan. full report

Analysis: Towards increased services for Syrian survivors of sexual violence

 NIZIP, 8 May 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need. full report

Analysis: Sending the right message on mHealth

 NAIROBI, 8 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - We’ve read the stories: From bedridden patients sending text messages to their health workers, to young people receiving HIV prevention messages via SMS, the mobile phone seems to have morphed from communications device to essential life-saver. But is the evidence there yet that mHealth is an effective health delivery intervention for the developing world? full report

Analysis: The plight of LGBTI asylum seekers, refugees

 KATHMANDU, 7 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - Refugees and asylum seekers face a host of challenges when crossing borders, but the obstacles are particularly pronounced for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) persons, say experts. full report

Analysis: Southeast Asia’s human trafficking conundrum

 JAKARTA, 6 May 2013 (IRIN Asia) - Tens of thousands of people are vulnerable to being trafficked in Southeast Asia, with governments struggling to understand and respond collectively to the problem, say experts and government officials. full report

Analysis: “Wake-up call” for Bangladesh’s building industry

 DHAKA, 6 May 2013 (IRIN Asia) - Corpses are still being recovered from Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster ever - a factory building collapse on 24 April that killed at least 600 workers near the capital. Government experts are scrambling to prevent a repeat. full report

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