Check-out the ICRC website in Somali: http://www.icrc.org/eng/home/languages/somali/index.jsp

NEWSLETTER ICRC delegation ISSUE NO.2 january 2013 gargaar Somalia: Restoring contacts between families separated by conflict

After two decades of conflict, tens of Despite the availability of internet access ICRC - BBC Missing Person thousands of Somalis have been separated in some parts of Somalia, sending a Red Radio Program from their families. The ICRC in Somalia Cross / Red Crescent family message is not As radio remains the best way of helps reunite these families in partnership a thing of the past. For the Somalis who live reaching many Somalis, the ICRC and with the Somali Red Crescent Society in internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps BBC have combined for many years to (SRCS), and other Red Cross and Red it’s the only means available. help seek out missing people. Families Crescent societies around the world. share the names of their missing Batulo lives in what used to be the UK relatives with the ICRC and SRCS. The Radio remains the easiest way for people embassy in Mogadishu. Her family had lost ICRC then shares these names with to connect in Somalia. I met Hashi in everything due to the conflict and she has the BBC. The BBC Somali service then Mogadishu; he had lost touch with been living in the IDP camp for over four broadcasts these names during a 15 members of his family – his sisters, brothers years. minute radio programme broadcast and in-laws. 5 times a week from 17:45 to 18.00 Batulo lost touch with her husband in 2008. Somali time. When missing relatives Each week the ICRC provides 125 names of In 2012, she received information that he hear their names read out on the missing people to the BBC Somali service to was in , in neighbouring . The radio, they are then able to contact read out. SRCS helped her make contact with him. the ICRC or the SRCS to re-establish She exchanged messages with him through contact with those trying to find Hashi, who submitted tracing requests to the SRCS and the Kenyan Red Cross Society. them. In 2012, 10,000 names were the Somali Red Crescent Society always However, just after they re-established broadcast, and 300 missing persons tunes in without fail to hear if there is contact, Batulo’s husband passed away. were located by the families searching anything new. Holding on to a small radio Batulo is sad that her husband is gone, but for them. Hashi says “I hold it to my ear every day; I she continues to send family messages to bought it just for this purpose.” her brother-in-law. She says, “I am very happy because we are getting in touch with people who have been missing for a long time.”

Listen to a Radio programme helps people trace missing relatives Restoring Family Links: An interview with Asha Ismael, ICRC Somalia Head of Family Links Program

Asha Ismael has been working with The Somali family links website includes the ICRC as Head of the Somalia Family those names broadcast by the ICRC - Links Program for 12 years. Based BBC missing person programme (please in Nairobi, she has been travelling see ICRC-BBC Box), and any other tracing extensively to Somalia over the years requests. In 2012 the ICRC published the and knows the volunteers of the Somali names of 10,000 missing people on the Red Crescent the ICRC relies on to trace family links website, where anybody in family members. the Somali Diaspora around the world Schaaf Anna/ICRC can log in and search. What does the ICRC do to reunite Asha Ismael, ICRC Somalia Head of Family Links Program families? Travel documents: This is a document In close partnership with the Somali issued by the ICRC on the request Red Crescent Society (SRCS), the ICRC when they know the location of their of an embassy, when a person lacks has been helping restore family links relatives, but the traditional means of documents (passport/I.D.) enabling in Somalia since 1977. The SRCS has communication have been disrupted. In them to travel home to their country of 23 offices in all regions of the country 2012, 19,000 Somalis exchanged family origin to be reunited with their families. working to help Somali people to re- messages with relatives both abroad and establish and maintain ties with their in Somalia. How do Somalis access these services relatives in Somalia and around the in Somalia? world. Tracing requests: This is a service that In Somalia, people can obtain access helps people who wish to locate and to tracing services through the Somali How does it work? restore contact with their relatives but Red Crescent Society field workers and The ICRC and the SRCS offer different do not know their address. In 2012, 543 network of volunteers, or by going services to people who have lost touch persons opened new tracing requests directly to the 23 tracing offices in the in Somalia. These services include: - for their missing family members, while country. Somalis abroad can contact the 1370 requests are still pending from closest ICRC or Red Cross / Red Crescent The Red Cross / Red Crescent Family previous years. 300 persons could be national society in their country of Message: These are open letters that traced successfully and put in touch with residence. allow people to send family news their families.

Somali refugees in Yemen: an ICRC tracing officer shares his insight

My name is Mohamed Hersi. I am an ICRC tracing field officer. In addition, I am a Somali elder in our community in Sana’a. I was one of the first to arrive here and I have been a long-time resident in Yemen, for almost 30 years now.

As an elder it comes to me naturally to order to put people back in touch with assist the Somali community and to their loved ones when they lost contact C. Martin-Chico/ICRC facilitate relations with the host country due to the war in Somalia. in matters including education, health Tahrir cafeteria in Sana’a. Mohamed Hersi, meets Somali refugees to discuss the issue of their relatives and immigration. During my spare As an ICRC tracing field officer I try to with whom they lost contact because of the conflict in time, the other members of the Somali help separated families to reunite and I Somalia community and I try to work together collect data that helps solve tracing cases to meet the needs of the extremely where Somali nationals in Somalia and all The Somali community is grateful to the vulnerable individuals such as elders, over the world can manage to find their ICRC in Yemen as it was one of the first children, unaccompanied minors, family members in Yemen. We address humanitarian organizations in Sana’a widows and people with disabilities the elders in all the regions in Yemen to to support the Somali community to amongst the urban refugees. contact and transmit the tracing lists to establish a centre. their tribe and clan members. This way Privately and professionally, I am always they contact us and report back about Read about how a Somali man found his family in touch with the Somali community in their findings.

2 C. Martin-Chico/ICRC parents were by abombthat had killed Mogadishu, who informed her that her she cameacross aneighbourfrom whereabouts. However, oneafternoon, area hadany feedback onherfamily’s arrived butnoonefrom theirhome Kenya. With newday more every people campjustacrossRefugee theborder in and herhusbandarrived at Dadaab Yasmeen, only19years oldat thetime, family withher. did notmanageto take therest ofher were for. looking Unfortunately, she environment was theonlythingthey decision to fleeto Kenya, apeaceful were safe, andsowhenthey madea had told herofacampwhere people unbearably dangerous. Herhusband September 2010,thesituation became time dueto ofconflict.In theeffects watched thetown deteriorate over Yasmeen was borninMogadishu. She Life inarefugeecamp inKenya remember anumber ofcasesthat have CrossAfrican Red Ido andtheICRC. Links program by theSouth supported in touch with them,thanksto ourFamily withtheirfamilieswerecontact putback “A great numberofpeoplewholost in1991.started relatives thecivil war during which from theirneighbours, familiesand Africa. Many ofwhomwere separated undocumented migrants livinginSouth refugees,Somali asylumseekersand of SASAsays there are about70000 director Amin Salat, thecountrywide Mr and largest immigrant community organisation Africa. inSouth to the growing number of refugees Africa. settling inSouth SASA is now the oldest AfricaSouth (SASA) was therefore formed outofthenecessity to provide avoice Africa they didnothave any diplomatic representation. The Association Somali of civil warSince inSomalia. at homethere was nocentral government, inSouth Africa settlinginSouth intheearly1990sasaresult refugees ofSomali started Community connected South Africa: F amily LinkskeeptheSomali contact. withwhom shecouldMogadishu have from her youththe onlypersonleft in whohadfledto Africa;friend South her to getintouch withanoldchildhood hadenabledmobile phonecallservice was happy. The Cross/RedCrescent Red sheon theday ImetherinKakuma, Despite allthechallengesshehasfaced, her husbanddivorced her. have Sadly, better luck. amonth later, 2012, where theyhopedwould campinSeptember Refugee to Kakuma her husbanddecidedto maketheirway expatriation to another country. She and in Somalia, Yasmeen beganseeking As she had nothing to go back to their house. exploded inabuildingneighbouring his unclehassettledinEthiopia, they they were reunited in2005andthough Crescent Red and theSomali Service civil war in1991. Through theBBC World separated from hisbrother the during ashisfather didwhenhewasservice fellow to Somalis usethe Family Links Ali, says Mohamed Imraan he encourages volunteer Crescent, Red oftheSomali A volunteer at SASAandaformer Africa,”South hesays. thembacktogetherand bring here in we offindingthosepeople were part been successful here Africa and inSouth Watch upwiththeirfamilies refugees onSomali linking the videoreport reunification, iscrucial.” especially thisprogramme offamily that Cross theRed isgiving, and the world, assistance thehumanitarian for my family”, he says, throughout“but thankful for the programme – “not only are now in constant is contact. Imraan have else. losteverything ones represents hopefor thosewho call.to thenext The withloved contact shelooksforwardmobile phoneservice, As for many ofthe otherbeneficiaries Somalis toSomalis usetheFamily Linksservice AliImraan Mohamed encourages fellow family camp inKenya makes aphonecallto her A young woman Somali inDadaabrefugee

Mkandawire Otae/ICRC 3

Antonic Ivan/ICRC Australia: a Somali mother finds her daughter after 19 years of uncertainty

When Isha Munya fled war-torn Somalia more than two decades ago, she was faced with “When I saw Faduma for the first time I the heartbreaking notion of never seeing her loved ones again. didn’t recognise her, but then she called out: ‘mother’ and tears started falling down my face,” Isha says, recalling the emotional The brutal inter-tribal violence that had family was given the opportunity to escape moment at the airport. broken out across the country scattered their life of limbo and relocate to Adelaide, her large and close-knit family, forcing Isha in South Australia. Four years later, and mother and daughter to leave her mother Akrabo and one of her are making up for lost time. daughters, Faduma, then 8, behind. It was in Australia that Isha, determined to unearth the fate of her family members, Faduma now lives in Adelaide, just a few “My heart was pounding,” Isha recalls of sought the help of the Australian Red Cross’ blocks from Isha’s colourful rug-draped the anguished moment she had to say Tracing Service, part of the International home, and the pair spends precious goodbye. “But it was not a safe place to stay. Red Cross Red Crescent global tracing moments together each day. If we had have stayed, the whole family network. would have been killed.” And while life together away from war and After discovering that many of her extended refugee camps has brought immense joy, Her departure from Somalia was the family members had died during the war, there is still one person missing from this beginning of a 19-year separation – a the Red Cross gave Isha the news she had happy family picture. traumatic time of uncertainty as she only dreamed of - Akrabo and Faduma were worried constantly about the welfare of her alive. For Isha, reuniting with her Kenya-bound little girl. mother Akrabo – whom she continues to Letters and photos were excitedly contact regularly through the Red Cross – is The first eight years were spent in exchanged and in 2009 Faduma, now the final key to lasting happiness. neighbouring Kenya, where Isha, her almost 30 and with a husband and baby of husband and remaining children lived in her own, flew to Adelaide to reunite with “It’s the last piece of the puzzle,” she says. four different refugee camps. In 1998 the her mother. C. Martin-Chico/ICRC

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4 Photo cover: Yazdi Pedram/ICRC 2013 January © ICRC, www.icrc.org Nairobi - Kenya T +254202719301 P.O. Box 73226-00200 PrittDenis Road Delegation Somalia ICRC by the Movement and othersituations ofviolence. conflicts inarmed andcoordinatesMovement. directs It conducted theinternational activities Conventionsof theGeneva Cross andtheInternational Red Crescent andRed universal principles. humanitarian isat Established in1863,theICRC the origin to prevent suffering by promoting andstrengthening law humanitarian and of violence andto provide themwithassistance. The alsoendeavours ICRC andothersituations conflict ofarmed protect thelives ofvictims anddignity and independent organization whoseexclusively missionisto humanitarian neutralThe International Committee isanimpartial, Cross oftheRed (ICRC) MISSION

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