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Somalia
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| Outdoor school for Somali refugees feeling famine and drought, in Dadaab, Kenya |
Food aid for those affected by the famine: Oxfam East Africa |
Mogadishu - a city torn by war: Mohamed Amin Jibril/IRIN |
Context
Somalia, located in the
Horn of Africa, is a country that is plagued  with political, economic,
developmental and social instability. It is divided into several self-declared
autonomous regions, Somaliland; a self-proclaimed independent state, Puntland
and Galmudug, both of which are autonomous states within Somalia. Without the
existence of a functioning government, a new transitional parliament, the
Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) was set in place in 2004.
Power is regionally divided in Somalia between the following recognized groups;
the TGF; the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS); the Puntland
Administration; the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama'a Administration and, the Galmudug
Administration. Somalia also has a high presence of powerful Islamist
anti-government groups, the most infamous being Al-Shabab. The region is currently
devastated by a severe drought and famine, leaving many citizens internally
displaced and on the brink of starvation. Looking forward, as the TFG
mandate approaches an end, the country hopes to hold national
elections in 2012.
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Key Developments
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Somalia's
Prime Minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, addresses the General Assembly on
issues concerning the continued conflict, present humanitarian crisis,
and future plans for development.
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First 'Consultative meeting on Ending the Transition in Somalia,' took
place in September, with the second phase of this conference set to take
place in October.
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Corruption and disruption of humanitarian aid - Crisis worsens.
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Media in Somalia
Due
to the highly unstable and fragmented state of Somalia, its media can
be equally as unstable and fragmented. In recent years however, there
has been a boost in media as more diverse, professional and free press
emerges. The difficulties remain that reporters and journalists in
Somalia face constant threats and danger, making the deliverance of
information a dangerous and potentially life threatening task. Media
sources can be highly partisan and under strict government control, and
these presently include Radio Mogadishu, Somaliland National TV, and
Radio Hargeisa. Privately owned media such as Radio Shabelle, Radio
Banaadir, Somaliland Times, and Radio Glakayo, are commonly used for
more accurate and un-biased reports. Information will be drawn from
various domestic media sources, along with international sources to create reports for the Media Monitoring
Project, Somalia.
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