Aid groups pulling out from Kismayo + other parts of Somalia

[zackabdul]

Doctors' Group Pulls Staff From Somalia

Feb 1, 7:33 AM (ET)

PARIS (AP) - Doctors Without Borders has pulled all of its international staff out of Somalia after three of its aid workers were killed in a land mine explosion earlier this week, the group said Friday.

The international aid group, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, said in a statement it was "deeply shocked by the murder of its team" in an attack that it called "probably premeditated." It evacuated its 87 foreign employees this week.

Three staff members of MSF-Holland were killed and one wounded when their vehicle hit a land mine Monday on a road between the international staff members' home and the hospital where they worked in the southern Somali town of Kismayo, said Malika Saim at the group's headquarters in Paris.

Those killed were a Kenyan surgeon, a French logistics expert and a Somali driver, she said. Saim said the road was one the aid workers took almost daily, and that the car was clearly marked as belonging to MSF, suggesting the group had been targeted.

MSF said it was unclear whether the mine was detonated by remote control, who was behind the attack or whether an investigation was under way.

"Out of respect for the victims and because of the opaque circumstances around the attack," the group decided to evacuate international staff who had been working on 14 projects in Somalia, the group said.

Some 800 Somali employees are still providing medical services in the country.

But Christophe Fournier, head of the international board of MSF, warned in the statement that the departure of the foreign employees would "deeply affect" those services.

He called the attack "a serious violation of the humanitarian action that our colleagues were involved in."

The group noted that the attack came as the country was already in a critical state, facing mounting violence that is increasing the need for urgent medical care.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since clan-based warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other, sinking the poverty-stricken nation of 7 million people into chaos.

Its weak transitional government, backed by Ethiopian troops, is struggling to quash an Islamic insurgency.

MSF has been in the country for more than 16 years.

[TheBigBosS]

thx 2 the ilkoyar

[Murax]

Very, very sad and disgusting. I hope whoever did this is killed slowly.

[zackabdul]

This going to affect everyone in Kismayo sxb.. Just because ilkayar control the city, don't think they are the only ones going to be affected.. cause truth be told everyone lives in that city and it's disappointment for all of us.. whether your mj, og or mr..

[AbdiWahab252]

They left GalMudug today.


Murax,

The killers should be publicly executed.


Zackabdul,

MSF pulled out of 14 hospitals all over Somalia. So Kismayo has affected us all.

[gemini07]

[quote="Murax"]Very, very sad and disgusting. I hope whoever did this is killed slowly.[/quote]

you and me both

[Murax]

Zackapul,

Seriously though, you know damn well was not in Marexaans interest for this to happen as we live in the city too. Whoever did this were cadowqaato scums who were doing some sort of sabatoge and I'm sure it was politically motivated to create instability. However since Marexaan control the city I do feel a sense of responsibiltiy.

[gemini07]

whoever did this is most likely not MR ,HARTI
or the other stakeholders in kismaayo

[zackabdul]

[quote="AbdiWahab252"]MSF pulled out of 14 hospitals all over Somalia. So Kismayo has affected us all.[/quote]

You being sarcastic? just asking..

[Somaliweyn]

First rule of Mooryanism: ''Make money by illegal actions, but never kill the cashcow''


This rule was created in Xamar, kidnapping was a lucrative business. Lately Bosaso has seen the opportunities and kidnapped some of foreign workers and received money.

In Kismanyo, things have gone real bad. They ruined the whole business by their incompetence lool.

[PINK_BUNNY]

Doctors W/O Borders are pulling out? They are the only trustworthy humanitarians. It's a dark day in Somalia, a dark day indeed.

[AbdiWahab252]

zack Abdul,

I wish I were being sarcastic:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7222592.stm


ALL OF SOMALIA !

[Somaliweyn]

On a serieus note,

I believe this is the work of EThiopians.

MSF is known to be not neutral on atrocities, they are famous for reporting atrocities that are committed in war-countries while other organisations like Red Cross keep a strict line on neutrality. They see the atrocities committed but they never report because the factions in the war would be brought in bad day light and thus deny the Red Cross acces again.

But MSF is known to be partial, on the side of the victim. Thats the reason why they were denied acces to Ogaden region since Addis Abbeba launched its military operations there, while Red Cross was granted acces. Just go to the website of MSF and look in their profile/history and the news in which Ethiopia denied them acces.

in Somalia, there is no government that can deny the MSF acces, so the only thing to do is: scare them away.

Just think about it: Who will be affected the most?

The 1 million people that fled Mogadishu because of the Ethiopian operations!, so only Ethiopia would benefit from MSF withdrawing from Somalia so it can commit more atrocities while the victims get no assistance.

[cabdallah252]

man those white NGOs working in somalia are really chickens

in bosaso just because a few got kidnapped, they now barely leave their hotels and are all frightened a cousin living there told me

one incident and they all chicken out

[PINK_BUNNY]

^^^^LOL. Of course they'll be scared, I'm Somali and even I would be scared.