Global Security Studies Practicum

05 November 2011 Nairobi (The Seattle Times) — Half a million victims of famine in southern Somalia, trapped inside territory contro lled by the rebel militia al-Shabaab, may be largely beyond the help of Western agencies, Somalia expert Ken Menkhaus writes in a paper for the Enough Project. Access to the south, the region hardest hit by famine, remains difficult and dangerous for humanitarian agencies, with some banned from operating in the south, and myriad rules and bureaucratic requirements for those allowed access. Al-Shabaab’s handling of the famine amounts to crimes against humanity, terrorizing people into submission, confiscating their produce and taxing them into poverty in the name of jihad. As they now starve, al-Shabaab denies them even the opportunity to migrate in search of food. Menkhaus says that the bizarre and extremist behavior of al-Shabaab, has made it unclear whether the West and the United Nations can realistically do much to help the 500,000 famine ...

25 OCTOBER 2011 Reuters (Washington)-- The United States is increasing food aid to drought-hit and strife-torn Horn of Africa nations. U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton stated that the U.S. is providing $100 million for food and humanitarian assistance in addition to the $650 million that has already been donated. According to Clinton, tens of thousands of people, most being children, have already died, and as many as 750,000 people are currently experiencing famine-level conditions. In addition, she stated that al-Shabaab continues to curtail access for relief workers and denying people food and medical aid in Somalia. She believes the additional U.S. support will help relief workers reach more people well into next year. RELIABILITY: 9 SOURCE: U.S. Increases Food Aid To Horn Of Africa http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE79O00F20111025

11 October 2011 London (The Guardian) —While agencies bring food and medical aid to famine-hit Somalia, escalating sexual violence is treated as a low priority. This is in part due to the difficulty for large foreign-aid organizations to access the women in need, those living in al-Shabaab -controlled internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. For sexual predators, famine and vulnerability equals opportunity. A recent United Nations assessment reported that cases of rape have quadrupled during the famine. If a victim of rape dares to complain, she is accused of promiscuity or “speaking against the brotherhood,” both crimes punishable by beheading or stoning. Solutions outside the traditional big-aid model have proven to be effective. Grassroots Somali leader Fartun Adan opened Sister Somalia , a rape crisis center inside Mogadishu’s government-controlled safe zone. She has developed a malleable direct-aid structure informed by local context, catering to victims’ specific needs. SOURCE: ...