Back to Work

Soon after returning from the US, I needed to get back to Somalia. As I looked at the coming months, it was clear to me that I would be spending a considerable amount of time away from family. It’s not pleasant but it’s the nature of what I do right now. The next few months will consist of several weeks in Somalia, a week in Mombasa (on the Kenyan coast for regional meetings) and a week in Tunis (global meetings). Needless to say, I’m not a big fan of being away from my family. And my carbon footprint is a bit of a nightmare. Those who have hobbies should be grateful.

WHD - Mogadishu

During my time in Mogadishu recently I’ve attended loads of events and meetings. It’s good for the networking and visibility but hard to get other things done. One event was World Humanitarian Day. It’s generally an event to recognize those of us who do humanitarian work as well as host governments and donors who support this work. Generally these events, particularly those in more dangerous places, offer a moment of silence to those who have lost their lives over the past year in the line of duty. There are lots of speeches and attempts to recognize those who are on the front lines (though the people who are really on the front lines rarely get invited to these events).

visiting a clinic in Mogadishu

Also in August I welcomed a couple of high-level visitors from New York to visit our work. They actually didn’t get to see much (one hospital) but just being in Somalia offers a certain exposure in and of itself. These guys had been to Somalia before so driving across devastated old Mogadishu, which I normally include in my visitor itineraries, was less of a shock to them. Having said that, we did encounter something out of the ordinary. As we were entering the airport “green zone” to catch our plane back to Nairobi, things were backed up much more than normal. As one of the more volatile places in the city, security at the UN/VIP entrance has been beefed up. Now the sniffer dog vehicle checks, opening the hood and doors, happens in a more secure areas surrounded by blast walls. This day it was backed up. Eventually we made our way through and into the terminal. We found out later that there was an IED found in the vicinity not long before we arrived. The back news is that it was found on the inside of the green zone rather than the outside. The good news is that it appeared to be old and was not ready to be detonated. Makes you wonder where it came from and how long it had been there.

meeting with govt. minister

I always feel sense of relief when I am sitting in the departure lounge. It’s not that I feel like I am in great danger while I’m there but you never know what could happen. As is my habit, I send a message to my wife to let her know that I’m okay and that I’m on my way. I order a coffee and water and then download my messages for the upcoming flight. We board. Fly to Wajir (just over the border into Kenya). Deplane. Go through security. Board again. Fly to Nairobi. Launch into Nairobi rush hour traffic. Make it home just in time for dinner. Easy as that.