Helping Somali Refugees: An Appeal for International Aid

By Farid Omar.

The Somali refugee crisis is worsening by the day as thousands of people displaced by conflict are crossing into Kenya and Ethiopia.

The majority of these refugees end up at the Dadaab refugee camp, the largest in the world, hosting half a million Somali refugees and counting. Located in Kenya near the Somali border, Somali refugees in this camp live in squalid conditions and require immediate resettlement in western nations that are signitories of the Geneva Convention.

Superstar Saado Ali Warsame, Somalia's most iconic artist and international figure and the Somali Refugee Awareness Project led by Hodan Nalayeh, are in Nairobi, Kenya, today, for a press conference to raise awareness on the humanitarian crisis and drum up international support for Somali refugees.

Both Saado Ali and Hodan would later travel to the Dadaab camp to meet the refugees and call for concerted international action to alleviate the ongoing suffering. They have recently held discussions with Honourable Farah Maalim, the Deputy Speaker of the Kenya Parliament. Mr. Maalim is also the MP for Lagdera constituency in the Garissa county where the Dadaab refugee camp is located.

According to a comprehensive Press Release issued by the Somali Refugee Awareness Project, the newest refugees are arriving in large numbers from the Sool, Sanaag and Cyn regions in northern Somalia and there are calls for the Somaliland government to end the military occupation in that region and for international community to intervene on behalf of the affected population.
The press release also states:

As someone whose heart belongs to the well being of the Somali people, Saado Ali wants Somalis to unite. Saado says, “We are at humanitarian crisis and this is the time for Somalis to unite and stand up for the dignity of our people.” Saado became a household icon in 1975 as young girl and she has continued to influence Somalis with her music the past thirty-five years. Saado’s popularity is not only due to her magnificent voice, but her pro-unity stand for Somalis, political courage and bravery to speak for the disadvantaged. She currently resides in Minneapolis, MN and has traveled to Kenya to help Somalis effected by the drought. Although, she is lives thousand of miles away from her birth country of Somalia, the power of the Internet has helped Saado to reach millions of Somalis on YouTube and social network sites to unite Somalis. Her hit latest single, “Somaliweyn” or “United Somalia” describes passionate call for all Somalis to come together as one and stop the country and clan divisions.