In Burao I received a Somali name: Roble, the one who brings the rains. A doctor gave it to me at a hospital we toured. It started raining very hard on the way back to Hargeisa as we drove up Sheikh mountain.
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Things That Happened to Me in Garowe
Our UN airplane landed in a desert, not on a tarmac. The airport was basically a tree, a sign, and a small building in the distance. I wasn't allowed into Puntland without first swallowing a liquid polio vaccination administered to me in a tent by WHO officials dressed in white biohazard suits. My passport was taken away from me at customs to be "processed" during my stay.
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Last Visit to the Gulf of Aden: Part 15
At the far corner of the terminal I found my old haunt and got the attention of the gossiping waitresses long enough to order some shiro, injera, and my first beer in two weeks. I took in the view from the brasserie and watched travelers circulate through the airport as if they were extras in the Star Wars cantina scene.
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Last Visit to the Gulf of Aden: Part 14
I discreetly took out my Steri-pen, a UV light filter, and dipped it into the water. A neon blue light turned on and I stirred the water for a full minute, watching the particles in it swirl around like a mini toilet bowl. Drinking the water was now safe; the light was supposed to kill off all the amebas and sea monkeys, but that didn’t mean it sat well with my sensitive stomach. I took a sip and then waited for the aches, pains, and diarrhea. Why I didn’t just buy a bottle of water from the cafe I don’t know. I guess I just felt like I needed a big bottle of water for whatever surprise or long wait was in-store for me between Hargeisa and Addis Ababa.
Read More »Last Visit to the Gulf of Aden: Part 13
"Power on!" She yelled I was unsure how me turning on suspicious-looking electronics would avert any threat of blowing up the security line but I complied anyway. Most everything turned on except for the spare laptop. Its battery was dead.
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Combatting Pirates Off the Somali Coast
In 2016, the Western Indian Ocean continued to see limited piracy activity, largely due to at sea mitigation efforts over the recent years. However, several attacks in early 2017 highlight the many gaps that still remain.
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Leche con las FARC
“We just want to come together to build a place where our children will have peace for future generations.” - Campesino resident, Buga, Colombia
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Protecting the Somali Fishing Industry
Berbera is a town filled with fish, and therefore, over-run with cats. Over dinner with Yusuf Abdilahi Gulled, the country director of FairFishing in Somaliland, stray felines purr around our table out on the patio. Eventually a bold one leaps into our plates to pick at the bones and spill the shigni, signifying the end of our meal.
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Solar Power in the Horn of Africa
It’s late but Abdikarim, an investment broker, agrees to listen to one more pitch from an entrepreneur. The heat continues to linger over Berbera, Somaliland even though the sun has been down for hours. “I ...
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Champions of the People
I was working at the Santa Fe Film Festival last week. There were lots of great documentaries up there, but my favorite was Super Amigos. It’s about luchadores (Mexican wrestlers) who serve as social advocates ...
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