Country

Somalia

A Land in Limbo

During colonial times, Somalia was divided between British Somaliland (in the north) and Italian Somaliland (in the south, Mogadishu area). After WWII Britain joined British Somaliland with Italian Somaliland, though because of the different colonial legacies, deep social differences existed between the two sides. In 1960 a united Somalia became independent. Following the 1970s war with Ethiopia, the Somali military dictator, Said Barre (a southern Somali), became more and more repressive, pushing people from Somaliland to press for independence.

Somaliland's Mental Hospital: Stretched to the Limit

Somaliland has only one mental hospital in the entire country. Many patients in the hospital suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome from the civil war with southern Somalia, which eventually led to secession and, still after 18 years, de-facto independence. Overuse of khat, a narcotic leaf that is normally chewed throughout the day, has been said to lead to more cases schizophrenia. However, given Somaliland's unrecognized status, the state's coffers are stretched thin, with little available resources for social services such as health care.

The U.S. Military's Assassination Problem

In 2004, when an American missile fired from a Predator drone killed Taliban leader Nek Mohammed, an observer told a journalist that the bombing was so exact it "didn't damage any of the buildings around the lawn where Mohammed was seated." It was an endorsement, if ever there was one, of the Bush administration's post-9/11 efforts at assassinations using what are known as decapitation attacks.

Anomaly Radio's Scott Horton Show features David Case

Anomaly Radio's Scott Horton Show featured reporter David Case on Friday, March 28 at 1:15 p.m. EST. Case discussed his reporting and recent article, "The U.S. Military's Assassination Problem," which is featured in April's Mother Jones.

The Scott Horton Show airs Monday through Friday from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. ETS on KAOS 95.9FM.

David Case appears on PBS program Foreign Exchange

Foreign Exchange host Daljit Dhaliwal interviewed Pulitzer Center grant recipient David Case this week. Daljit discussed with David the U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia one year ago as well as what is consequently happening there today.

The interview aired for one week, beginning on January 11, 2008.

The War on Terror's Newest Front

Her face placid under a black headscarf, Kadro Mohamed sits on the floor of her new home: a tiny shack constructed of sticks and shredded bags. She cradles a restless baby, while her other seven children huddle nearby. Several weeks earlier, her husband was killed when their home in Mogadishu was destroyed by a random mortar, fired during a battle between the Ethiopian troops that occupy Somalia and the rebels who are trying to drive them out.