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SOMALIA  

Somali security sector reform

NAIROBI, 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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

Briefing: The UN’s integrated mission in Somalia

 NAIROBI, 10 May 2013 (IRIN) - Following the unanimous adoption of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution setting up an integrated mission in Somalia, the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) will be set up for an initial one-year period beginning on 3 June; it will be based in the capital Mogadishu. full report

Analysis: The plight of LGBTI asylum seekers, refugees

 KATHMANDU, 7 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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

Countering the radicalization of Kenya's youth

 NAIROBI, 6 May 2013 (IRIN) - Unemployment, poverty and political marginalization are contributing to the Islamic radicalization of Kenya's youth, a situation experts say must be addressed through economic empowerment and inclusive policies. full report

Arab cities aim to build resilience to natural disasters

 AQABA, 29 April 2013 (IRIN) - Prevention may be better than a cure, but for the authorities in Arab cities and towns, natural disasters up to now have been largely about coping with them after they have taken place. full report

Building health systems from scratch in Somalia

 MOGADISHU, 26 April 2013 (IRIN) - Lul Mohamed, director of the paediatric ward at Banadir Hospital in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, treated five children after two bomb attacks killed 30 people on 14 April. "And they were shooting last night. One died, a bullet in his liver," she said of an eight-year-old boy. full report

Uganda pilots mobile courts for refugees

 KAMPALA, 23 April 2013 (IRIN) - Uganda's government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have launched a pilot mobile court system to improve access to justice for victims of crimes in Nakivale, the country's oldest and largest refugee settlement. full report

Briefing: Somalia, federalism and Jubaland

 NAIROBI, 16 April 2013 (IRIN) - Moves to bring three regions in the deep south of Somalia together into the state of Jubaland have turned into a tussle with the central government, with regional powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia playing important roles. full report

In East Africa, heavy rains test emergency preparedness

 NAIROBI, 11 April 2013 (IRIN) - Unusually heavy rains have caused havoc across much of east Africa, displacing thousands of people and damaging important infrastructure. full report

Somali music festival takes aim at Al-Shabab

 MOGADISHU, 10 April 2013 (IRIN) - Organizers of the Mogadishu Music Festival, a string of events held last week in the Somali capital, hoped to inaugurate a new era of openness and development in the war-scarred country, and to lure impressionable youths away from radicalism. full report

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