MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2007
16:30 MECCA TIME, 13:30 GMT
Somalia: A nation in ruins
A year after Ethiopian soldiers ousted the Islamic
Courts, chaos and bloodshed
reigns on the streets of Mogadishu, the Somali capital
[EPA]
Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow and Andrew Simmons
travelled to different parts of Somalia to witness
first-hand what is going on in the anarchic Horn of
Africa nation.
Moving through the chaotic capital of Mogadishu, one
comes across a grisly scene: several artillery shells
had just hit the capital's Bakaara market.
Dismembered bodies, blood and severed limbs lie
everywhere. And as is often the case, all the victims
are civilians.
Such scenes are not uncommon in this theatre of war,
but they are rarely captured on camera.
Those lucky to escape the attack run for dear life.
But in this city, there is nowhere to hide.
This is not a conventional war and no one is spared
the violence. Here good Samaritans struggle to save
the injured. They bundle them on to vehicles and
hand-carts. They will join many others lying in the
city's few and congested hospitals.
"I was injured by a remote-controlled landmine
targeting Ethiopian troops," says Hussein Issack, a
recent victim of the violence.
"A friend I was with died on the spot. I am really
saddened by these attacks. Those targeted usually
escape and it's [us civilians] who get hurt."
Civilians 'targeted'
"We are victims of our enemies who attacked our land
after Somalis enjoyed six months of peace and
tranquility under the Islamic Courts"
Islamic Courts fighter
Many Islamic Courts' Union fighters are still licking
their wounds from the fighting with Ethiopian forces,
but they remain bold enough to venture out into the
streets.
They have also become increasingly confident in recent
months.
Along with Ethiopian forces, they are also accused of
targeting civilians, a charge they strongly deny.
"We are the people and the people are us. We are not
any different," one Islamic Courts' fighter told Al
Jazeera.
"We are victims of our enemies who attacked our land
after Somalis enjoyed six months of peace and
tranquility under the Islamic Courts.
"They are the enemies of Allah, Muslims and the Somali
people."
'Nowhere to run'
Later, while travelling in to Mogadishu, less than
10km from the city, we can hear the sound of
bombardments and shelling.
It is also the road to the city where the displaced
have set up camps.
Hussein is severely disabled, a widower and
has seven children to feed
On either side, hundreds of thousands of people live
in terrible conditions. They want to return home but
cannot while the violence continues.
Tens of thousands others also remain trapped in the
city. Marooned by the fighting, they have no escape
route.
Physically disabled Hussein Osman Gessey is one of
them. His wife died a few weeks ago, leaving him to
care for his seven children, including a
three-month-old baby.
"I have nowhere to run to. I have nothing to transport
them and no place to take my children," he said.
"Should I worry about what they eat or where they will
get safety? Most of my neighbours have fled. I now
rely on what I am brought by kind friends who are
aware of my problems."
Hussein's misfortunes are shared by many Somalis
today. Every tale you hear is more heart-rending than
the other.
Hospital overwhelmed
Mogadishu's desperate situation is echoed in other
parts of the country. In Galguduud, a town several
hundred kilometres north of the capital, aid workers
from Medicins Sans Frontieres Belgium struggle to
treat those in need.
The organisation's staff have strict procedures: they
have security guards wherever they go, whether in the
drive to work from the compound in which they live or
to the hospital where they work. They are not allowed
to venture anywhere else.
The morning meetings have a common theme - where to
put more admissions and what to do with those waiting
to be assessed.
The hospital's outpatients department is always
absolutely inundated. The health needs in this
conflict are unlike so many others, because there is
no basic infrastructure and the children are the most
in need.
In one ward alone there have been 30 admissions in the
past few days and Dr Carolina Batista Santos, the
doctor in charge, rarely gets a break.
Small successes
In this hospital, we attract people from faraway
places, sometimes hundreds of kilometres away. We see
a lot of diseases that are preventable from
immunisation that is not going on.
Not only that, but many children arrive here too late
because their parents often do not realise the
importance of taking them to hospital.
Many Somali children are sick with easily
preventable diseases
And in a country with no health service, traditional
healing is followed by many parents.
One three-year-old boy has a potentially fatal disease
called kala azar. On his skin are welts from where a
traditional healer burned him in a futile attempt at a
cure.
Left too late, all of his internal organs will fail.
Nevertheless, with the hospital's care they are
hopeful he will survive.
It is not war that keeps the hospital full in
Galguduud. There are domestic accidents, burns from
spilled cooking oil, poor nutrition, neglected
illnesses and ailments that come from poor sanitation
and no running fresh water.
Dr Santos is doing her best and she makes the most of
her successes.
But she knows that any gains are set against so many
lives lost in a country with overwhelming needs.
Source: Al Jazeera
---------------
Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
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