Ahmed Walad Abdalla Mauritania People Are Refugees In Puntland

[Cowke]

The mobile phone of Dr. Abdikadir Kalif Ali does not stop ringing. As director of the department of mental health throughout the Puntland active within the general hospital in the town of Bosaso, his is one of the toughest jobs in Somalia. "Sometimes km ride in the sun reach the nearest hill, and just find the signal call me - said Ali -. Are the families of my patients who want to know when they can come to the hospital to receive medication. But without greater international support, are often forced to make them wait for days. "

 

In this hot region of the Horn of Africa, self-proclaimed independent at the beginning of the civil war in 1991, several days pass without the necessary drugs can be fatal. Especially in the numerous cases of mental illness, where suffering is not only sick, but whoever is near. The medical board that Dr. Ali has her hands about a young schizophrenic in care since 2005, who repeatedly attacked his family, throwing objects at them and punches and kicks. Add to this the frequent attacks of epilepsy, which for several years have forced isolation.

 

"Unfortunately, his family will keep him chained in a corner of the house until able to administer drugs - says the director of the department -. In Somalia, such situations are frequent. In the absence of drugs for these patients, especially in rural areas where psychiatric diseases are "rejected" or considered "curses", family members often are reduced to keep the joint in chains to prevent hurt himself and people around him. "

 

The mental health is an issue as serious as little addressed due to the interminable civil war underway in south-central Somalia, the tragic repercussions of which reverberate around the country. The international aid agencies, low on the ground because of the dangers of context, consider the goal Bosaso more "traffic" around the Horn of Africa. A dramatic swirl of IDPs, mainly from the south of the country, mixes thousands of Ethiopian refugees who fled the famine or the Eritrean regime. Furthermore, it is easy to distinguish other groups originating in the ******, a vast region formally part of Ethiopia, but occupied by the Somali clans of *****-******, where you are in a fierce and "silent" war to seize the natural resources underground. Since then it has also formed a group made up of asylum seekers, which even includes nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Mauritania.

 

"Sometimes burst some misunderstandings between the host community and the rest of the population - confirmation Mohamed Said, deputy director of public Bosaso -. But generally relations are good, because we understand the pain of those fleeing from war. Many displaced people have seen family members killed before their eyes - Said continues - this is why mental health should be one element of greater attention from their carers. "

 

According to authorities, the high rate of unemployment is another major cause of psychiatric disorders that affect both citizens and refugees of Puntland. The medical card of Ahmed, Somali thirty years, certify that the patient suffers from depression, schizophrenia and malnutrition, because he believes that the food has strange powers and can poison. "Not having enough drugs, many of our patients worsen their mental chewing khat, the hallucinogenic herb that allows you to not feel hungry," says Hawa, a social worker of the Group for cultural relations (Grt) an Italian NGO working in Somalia since 1996 and opened in 2003, the department of mental health Bosaso. 'In addition, many families are convinced that these diseases can not be cured and, therefore, merely to isolate those affected for years, hoping that eventually calm down. "

 

Although you do not have reliable estimates on the number of mentally ill in Somalia, the authorities believe that almost half of the Somali people suffering from psychological disorders. Since 2003, patients followed by Grt are more than 3 thousand, but the bulk of the project, which financed this department was forcibly suspended in 2008 pending other humanitarian funds. "We are seeking the help of international agencies - says Mohamed Ahmed, regional secretary for the Ministry of Health -. But we know that the cause of these problems are endemic in the conflict and lack of a central government that could improve the lives of our people. "

 

For the Somalis fleeing the war es'insediano the outskirts of Bosaso, scattered for twenty-six refugee camps (which according to the UN housing more than 28 thousand civilians), we have to build where you can huts made of rags and cardboard found in landfills open. Only last week, there were two fires caused by spontaneous infernal sun that triggered the burning of more than 500 homes, with the death of a child and dozens of burn victims. When the Red Cross arrived to assess the situation and record people in a few terrifying minutes they lost what little they had a quarrel caused the wounding of one of the government soldiers who are to escort humanitarian convoys and personnel abroad.

 

"People are tired, frustrated and angry," says Dr. Ali. "I stress that have accumulated in recent years increases day by day and my department alone can not address all the necessary work. We need more support, otherwise we will literally "crazy" the entire Somali population. "

[Che -Guevara]

What is your point?

[Hales]

The mental health is an issue as serious as little addressed due to the interminable civil war underway in south-central Somalia, the tragic repercussions of which reverberate around the country. The international aid agencies, low on the ground because of the dangers of context, consider the goal Bosaso more "traffic" around the Horn of Africa. A dramatic swirl of IDPs, mainly from the south of the country, mixes thousands of Ethiopian refugees who fled the famine or the Eritrean regime. Furthermore, it is easy to distinguish other groups originating in the ******, a vast region formally part of Ethiopia, but occupied by the Somali clans of *****-******, where you are in a fierce and "silent" war to seize the natural resources underground. Since then it has also formed a group made up of asylum seekers, which even includes nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and .

Interesting Article about the conditions about the plight of the refugees in Puntland

But this paragraph does maintain that the refugees are from different parts of Africa and does not just make an exception for Mauritanians.

 

This article discusses the wide range of problems mainly of the symptoms and causes of the psychiatric disorders which stems and the tragic repurcussions as it notes of the civil war and

causes the lack of employment

 

Id like to know how intractable the refugees are for Puntland to deal with once their helped in settling on a strip of land?

 

Although you do not have reliable estimates on the number of mentally ill in Somalia, the authorities believe that almost half of the Somali people suffering from psychological disorders

[Chief_Aaqil]

Originally posted by Cowke:

In this hot region of the Horn of Africa, self-proclaimed independent at the beginning of the civil war in 1991

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