This archive report was first published on 11 May 2020.
Published on May 11, 2020, by FRED OLUOCH, more by this author here.
As Somalia struggles to contain the spread of Covid-19, the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) is facing a new challenge: protecting its peacekeepers from the disease.
With 873 cases and 38 deaths reported by Thursday, Somalia's inadequate health infrastructure and personnel are putting Amisom troops at risk. The country had only 26 cases just two weeks ago.
According to sources within Amisom, there have been 30 confirmed cases in the Ugandan contingent and seven among Burundi troops. Amisom has troops from Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, and Burundi.
Amisom soldiers affected by Covid-19 are being treated in Halane, within the camps, and their condition is a matter of military intelligence.
Al-Shabaab is already spreading propaganda that Covid-19 is a punishment for non-believers.
Amisom has scaled down its operations in the war against Al-Shabaab, conducting only low-key operations in Lower Shabbelle, to avoid unnecessary exposure. The Somalia government lacks the capacity to enforce lockdowns in Mogadishu and the vast rural areas controlled by the militia.
Abdirizak Yusuf Ahmed, leading the response team against Covid-19 in Somalia, warned that there could be thousands of untested cases in the country.
Mogadishu's Martini Hospital is the only facility handling Covid-19 cases, amidst a critical shortage of medical supplies and personnel. The country has only three laboratories for testing for Covid-19, with millions living in camps for internally displaced persons who have limited access to running water.
A recent survey by the East African Centre for Research and Strategic Studies (ECRSS) revealed that over 50 per cent of the Mogadishu population could be affected, with fatalities 10 times more than the official government figures.
Abdalla Ahmed Ibrahim, ECRSS director, said the lack of coordination between the federal states and the central government is a weak link in the pandemic fight.
