Troops Urged to Return Facilities to the Children
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Last week, military forces invaded and took over the SOS Children’s Village and hospital in Mogadishu, forcing all children, patients and employees to evacuate the grounds. The troops are now occupying the compound as a base for gunfights, preventing over 500 victims of Somalia’s tragic circumstances from receiving care each day and tearing nearly 100 orphaned children from their long-term homes.
SOS Children’s Villages urges the troops to return the facilities to the children and those who require medical care. The military occupation is costing lives, as 500 people per day who would have received medical care are at risk of dying on the streets while troops guard empty beds.
Fierce fighting occurred on the hospital grounds on Saturday and Sunday when the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) supported by African Union (AU) troops took over the SOS properties; forcing all SOS staff to vacate the grounds of the Village and hospital – for the first time in its 25-years of existence.
“For 25 years this hospital was protected by the people of north Mogadishu. The current occupation is unethical and unnecessary,” stated Wilhelm Huber, the East Africa Director of SOS Children’s Villages. “A Children’s Village is for children, not soldiers. A hospital is a place to treat the sick, it is not a place to hide.” Huber has called on the military to hand back the SOS Village and hospital compound to the community to which they belong.
Mr. Huber’s sentiments were echoed by the 54 senior medical staff from the hospital who pleaded with various military leaders, cabinet ministers in the Somali Transitional Federal Government and officials at the UN to do everything in their power to address this critical issue.
One SOS employee was killed in the crossfire between TFG/AU troops and al-Shabaab forces as he reported for work after the forced evacuation. Friends say that he returned to SOS in the belief that the area had been secured by TFG forces as relayed in radio reports. The body of Mr. Ali Shabye remains where he was killed on Monday morning despite pleas to recover his body to provide him with a proper and respectful burial.
The fate of a mentally disabled child missing since the weekend is also of concern to SOS medical staff. They fear that he too may be a victim of the fighting.
SOS Children’s Villages has operated continuously in East Africa for over 40 years, providing family-based homes to orphaned children, medical facilities and numerous programs to others in need. In September alone, the Village in Mogadishu has assisted nearly 12,000 individuals, providing medical care to those affected by the severe drought, famine and civil war in Somalia. SOS increased the capacity of schools to provide more children with a safe haven and meals during the day, and implemented a program that allows people to purchase food from local grocers despite severe inflation.
About SOS Children's Villages
For over 60 years, SOS Children’s Villages has been dedicated to providing family-based, long-term care to children who can no longer grow up with their biological families. SOS also focuses on preventing the conditions that cause children to be orphaned and abandoned. Through its Children’s Villages, Family Strengthening Programs, emergency relief programs and schools, SOS impacts the lives of over 1 million people each year. SOS Children's Villages has received numerous honors including the Save the World Award, the Mother Teresa Gold Medal, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, and the Vietnam Friendship Medal. For more information about SOS Children's Villages, visit www.sos-usa.org.
CONTACT:
for SOS Children's Villages
McClain Bell, 202-756-7245
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America District of Columbia Somalia Africa
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Hospitals Public Policy/Government Other Government Other Policy Issues Public Policy Philanthropy Other Philanthropy Foundation
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