The Effects of War and Conflict in East Africa

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“I don't recognize my people anymore. I feel Somalia is lost. There is no Somalia. It’s just a name.” said Hawa Adbi, a Somali born human rights activist. This is an example of the effects of war and conflict in Somalia, and all over the region of East Africa. The everyday violence in this war torn country is so damaging that much of the countries population has fled to refugee camps across the eastern region of Africa. Some people that go to these camps are wounded, physically or mentally, from the clan wars, and warlords that are causing all of this violence and pain in Somalia. Somalia has had its tough times and struggles, but has over came most of them, and has developed into an astounding country. The country of Somalia is located in Eastern Africa, and it is strategically placed right by southern Europe, and southwest Asia. There are ten countries in East Africa, and they are all very interesting. Sudan and Ethiopia are to the northern part of East Africa, and Tanzania is the most southern country in the region. Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda are in the western part of East Africa, and Somalia is to the East (Baerwald and Fraser 564). East Africa is near many important bodies of water, mountains, and even the Equator. The region has the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to the north, and Mount Kilimanjaro is in the southern part of the region, and finally the Equator runs through the center of the region (Baerwald and Fraser 566). There are many different land features found in the East African region. Some parts of this region are quite mountainous. One of the most well known mountains in East Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located in Northern Tanzania. Mount Kilimanjaro is not the only land feature with high altitude in Ea... ... middle of paper ... ...her countries try to help out and try to restore peace, but that just leads to more conflict. Often times armed bandits steal the food before it can be distributed evenly to the people who actually need it (Hamilton 33). The Pirates of Somalia are a giant problem. The modern day pirates ride out in skiffs and hijack ships. Once they have successfully hijacked the ship they ask for an amount of money, or a ransom. In the year of 2008 there was a total of Forty-two ships hijacked in Somali waters and they collected a total of 150 million dollars in ransom money (Gelletly 100). Although there have been many issues throughout Somalia’s history, many of them have been conquered to turn Somalia into the remarkable country it is today. The physical and human characteristics of Somalia are very diverse when compared to the other countries in the region of East Africa.

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