Pick of the week: Rising tensions in the Horn of Africa

In the past few days, there have been signs that Somalia and Kenya are coming back into the press. However, given how fragmented the reporting has been, it is still hard to assess how Somali and Kenyan civilians have been affected by the recent Kenyan military incursion into a Somali border area, as well as the ongoing food crisis. This pick of the week brings together some of the latest news and pictures from the Horn of Africa to give a better sense of the situation on the ground.

1.‘Kenya: Army, Al Shabaab in First Battle’

On 27 October, the first clash took place between the Kenyan Army and Al Shabaab in Somalia.  According to a representative of the Kenyan state, Dr Alfred Mutua, the “Kenya government strategy is to destroy Al Shabaab’s network within the shortest time possible. Kenya has no intention to stay in Somalia an hour beyond necessary”. This view, expressed in an allAfrica article, seems to have been backed by the words of the Chief of Defence Forces General Julius Karangi, reported in Kenya’s Capital FM, who said “When the Kenya government and the people of this country feel that they are safe enough from the Al Shabaab menace, then we shall pull back“. However, the timeframe for Kenyan involvement in Somalia, as well as its humanitarian implications, remains to be seen.

2. ‘Voices of Dadaab‘

Meanwhile, Somali civilians continue to arrive to Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp: the largest in the world. Fleeing from the worst effects of a huge food shortage, their story has steadily faded from view in many of the big papers, perhaps because it is  not known how to report such a huge humanitarian crisis and to continue to engage readers. However, that does not mean there have not been attempts to do so by others. One Somali artist, Abdi Fatah Farrah, went to meet the famine victims and record the video, ‘Voices of Dadaab’. To hear the audio, click here. Alternatively, check out Natasha Elkington’s video, ‘Children of Dadaab: Life through the lens‘. Through this, she paints a picture not just of tragedy, but also of the incredible resilience of the children she met.

For more on how the drought is affecting the harvest in southern Somalia, read this Oxfam blog.

3. ‘KENYA: Xenophobia, fear follow Nairobi blasts’

Grenade attacks in the centre of Nairobi have given residents extra cause for concern. For Kenyan Somalis and Somali refugees, it has been reported that they now “feel they have become terror suspects by virtue of their ethnicity“. For more on this, read the IRIN report.