Patrick Duplat
Patrick Duplat is an advocate at Refugees International, and has conducted missions in Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic, Yemen and Somalia. He previously worked for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Indonesia, Somalia and Chad. He holds an MSc. in Global Politics from the London School of Economics.
For aid agencies, security comes at a price
Author: Patrick Duplat
In late January 2008, three aid workers from the international medical aid agency Doctors without Borders were killed in the city of Kismayo in southern Somalia. A remote-controlled explosive device was detonated as they drove back from the hospital where they worked. In the past seven months alone, 21 staff of non-governmental organizations have been killed in the troubled Horn of Africa country. Unfortunately, Somalia is not the exception. The number of violent incidents involving aid workers has dramatically increased in the past few years. No official statistic is available because of competing definitions of terms like "civil society" and "assistance", but the incidents have affected international non-governmental organizations as well as the Red Cross and United Nations agencies. ...
Author: Patrick Duplat
In late January 2008, three aid workers from the international medical aid agency Doctors without Borders were killed in the city of Kismayo in southern Somalia. A remote-controlled explosive device was detonated as they drove back from the hospital where they worked. In the past seven months alone, 21 staff of non-governmental organizations have been killed in the troubled Horn of Africa country. Unfortunately, Somalia is not the exception. The number of violent incidents involving aid workers has dramatically increased in the past few years. No official statistic is available because of competing definitions of terms like "civil society" and "assistance", but the incidents have affected international non-governmental organizations as well as the Red Cross and United Nations agencies. ...
Aid workers face taxing time in Somalia
Author: Patrick Duplat
When I first travelled to Somalia three years ago, flying to the country required little logistical preparations (only faith in the pilot's abilities). Outside of Mogadishu, few cities had tarmac runways, and most landing strips amounted to little more than dirt tracks. Arriving from Kenya, the welcoming committee in Somalia consisted of camels and goats, rather than border guards. After all, this was a country with no central government, and therefore no border checks, visas or passport controls.
Today the airports have changed little, but non governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in South Central Somalia - already considerably constrained by security threats - have to face a bevy of bureaucratic hurdles.
...
Author: Patrick Duplat
When I first travelled to Somalia three years ago, flying to the country required little logistical preparations (only faith in the pilot's abilities). Outside of Mogadishu, few cities had tarmac runways, and most landing strips amounted to little more than dirt tracks. Arriving from Kenya, the welcoming committee in Somalia consisted of camels and goats, rather than border guards. After all, this was a country with no central government, and therefore no border checks, visas or passport controls.
Today the airports have changed little, but non governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in South Central Somalia - already considerably constrained by security threats - have to face a bevy of bureaucratic hurdles.
...
