According to UNICEF, over 4 million people in Kenya face severe food insecurity. VOA’s Omary Kaseko visited a family impacted by five seasons of severe drought in the north.
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World Refugee Day, which falls each year on June 20, celebrates the strength, perseverance, and courage of millions of people, who flee from their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

One young former refugee and entrepreneur has sought to turn the refugees’ stories into something inspiring that empowers others who have fled their homes.

Mohamed Malim, a 27-year-old former Somali refugee turned social entrepreneur, is the director of the fashion apparel brand Epimonia, a small Minnesota-based company that he founded in 2018.

The company collects life jackets that refugees have worn, and the remains of flimsy build-it-yourself rafts from Greek beaches, and turns these pieces of the refugee journey into something more tangible.

“We take life jackets that refugees have worn crossing the Mediterranean Sea and turn them into fashion pieces to bring awareness of the global refugee crisis, and to support refugees’ arts, and designers,” Malim told VOA Somali.

The signature of Epimonia’s products is a vibrant orange bracelet manufactured out of the scraps of discarded life jackets that refugees used on their trip.

Malim says bracelets have been finding their way onto the wrists of young people in the U.S, especially in Minnesota, generating profit that partially goes back to the refugees.

“We support refugees through providing employment, spreading awareness, and donating 50% of our profit to U.S. organizations that support refugees with opportunities for education and advancement,” said Malim.

Over the weekend, at a small space in Washington D.C., Malim used a pile of life jackets and boat materials to celebrate this year’s World Refugee Day.

“It is something that I am very passionate [about],” said Malim. “Something that I am very inspired [about]. “It is an ability that God gave me to use my talent to make an impact in the life lives of the refugees through a unique medium: fashion.”

A former refugee, Malim was born in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. He was 4 years old when his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1999.

“We first settled in Texas and then moved to Minnesota, where my personal journeys inspired me to make a difference in the world, especially for other refugees,” he said. “I am really very grateful to be in this position where I can help my fellow refugees achieve their dreams and materialize their hopes.”

During the Washington event where Malim showcased his latest art exhibit, a young Somali-American poet, Elias Yabarow, better known as ALAKKUU, gave a live performance of an original piece reflecting the Story of Deeja, a fictional young Somali girl who risked her life to migrate from Mogadishu to Europe.

“The idea behind the story of Deejah is basically about the migration of young people, and the message elaborates the factors that force these young people to venture out on hazardous journeys to escape unbearable situations in their countries of origin,” Yabarow told VOA.

“Even though, the story does not feature if Deeja survived or not, this is the story of how a young woman crossed the coast, this is a story of hundred million people who were all in a same boat,” said Yabarow.

Elias Yabarow is the son of VOA Somali chief Abdi Yabarow, who was not involved in reporting this story.
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Somalia’s government says 43 al-Shabab militants, including two senior commanders, were killed by Somali National Army forces during a weekend airstrike about 14 kilometers from the Jamame District in the Lower Juba region.

“The airstrike successfully eliminated key al-Shabab leaders Aden Abdirahman Aden and Idris Abdirahim Nur, who was of Kenyan national origin, and a total of 43 al-Shabab fighters,” the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) reported on Monday.

SONNA said the attack, carried out by “Somalia’s international partners,” happened Friday as militants and their commanders gathered to plan attacks against government soldiers at the Barsanguni military base, which is home to the Somali National Army and local forces.

The statement did not specify the foreign partner that conducted the airstrike, but often, U.S Africa Command drones carry out attacks on Somali militant targets.

“The successful disruption of this planned attack demonstrates the effectiveness of the ongoing efforts to combat al-Shabaab and protect the people of Somalia,” the statement added.

The news comes as Somalia’s Council of Ministers nominated Brigadier General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhyadin Addow as the new commander of the Somali National Army.

A spokesman for the Somali Defense Ministry said the appointment follows a proposal to remove General Odawa Yusuf, who has held the position since March 2019.

“General Addow brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He has previously held various military positions, including Commander of the National Presidential Guard Brigade,” the nomination statement said.

These military developments come at a time when the army, with the help of forces from neighboring countries, is up for the second phase of an offensive against al-Shabab.
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The U.K. on Monday announced new sanctions against Syria’s defense minister and its head of the armed forces, as part of new curbs targeting conflict-related sexual violence.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim would be subject to asset freezes and travel bans.

Abbas has a “commanding role of the Syrian military and armed forces, who have systematically used rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence against civilians,” it said.

Ibrahim, who is chief of the general staff of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces, “has been involved in the repression of the Syrian population through commanding military forces where there has been systematic use of rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence.”

Alongside the Syrian pair, the FCDO slapped a similar ban on two rebel leaders from the restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo — Desire Londroma Ndjukpa and William Yakutumba.

Ndjukpa heads the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) militia while Yakutumba, an army deserter, is leader of the armed Mai-Mai Yakutumba rebel group.

Both groups have used rape and mass rape, breaking international humanitarian law, the FCDO said.

“Threats of sexual violence as a weapon in conflict must stop and survivors must be supported to come forward,” said junior foreign minister Tariq Ahmad.

“These sanctions send a clear signal to perpetrators that the UK will hold you accountable for your horrendous crimes.” 
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As the world mark Sickle Cell Day on Monday, Nigeria accounts for about 33% of the 300,000 children diagnosed every year with the disease.

The World Health Organization and Nigeria’s Health Ministry say 25% of the country’s total population are carriers of mutant genes that give rise to the genetic disorder. In 2011, Nigeria’s Health Ministry initiated mandatory screening for newborns to help detect the condition early, but many Nigerian hospitals have yet to comply with the directive.

Anna Ochigbo of Nigeria has lost two siblings to sickle cell anemia. In May 2022, Ochigbo launched the nonprofit Hoplites Sickle Cell Foundation in memory of her siblings. 

“We don’t just create awareness on the importance of genotype testing before marriage,” she said. “We go as far as conducting free genotype testing in certain communities, and we also try as much as possible to educate young people.”

About 50 million people are estimated to be living with sickle cell disease globally, but Nigeria has the highest burden. Every year, an estimated 100,000 kids are diagnosed with the condition in Nigeria, according to the Health Ministry, and up to 80% die before they turn five. 

Hoplites Foundation holds periodic hangouts for sickle cell warriors to meet and share their experiences.

“The participation has been really, really massive,” Ochigbo said. “A lot of sickle cell warriors are coming out now. They want to connect. They want to network. They want to go to a place where they feel loved and appreciated.”

Nigerian authorities in 2011 initiated universal screening for newborns at hospitals to help detect the condition early. However, the Health Ministry’s sickle cell program manager, Alayo Sopekan, said many health centers have yet to adopt the measure.

“Every single child born in Nigeria should be screened at birth. Now, we have a much more refined technology. We have started training health workers,” Sopekan said.

Experts say apart from screening newborns, authorities need to intensify community genotype testing to help create awareness about the disease, and to dispel myths and misinformation about the condition, including that the disease is a spiritual attack on the body.

Nigerian musician Excel Praiseworth has been living with sickle cell disease for 29 years. 

Last year, he started a nonprofit called The Sickle Sound, where he uses his music to debunk misinformation about the condition.

“We’ve been writing songs. We have the sickle sound, which has gone far and wide, and it’s beautiful to know that warriors can listen to these songs and have solace,” Praiseworth said. “Nigeria and the world at large should just get rid of unnecessary stereotypes.”

In 2021, Nigerian lawmakers introduced a bill to screen couples before they get married, but the bill was suspended due to rights issues.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Sickle Cell Day, advocates are urging authorities to take interventions about the condition more seriously in order for the negative trend to improve. 
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Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, says that human rights around the world are in a perilous state as countries are failing to honor the fundamental rights and freedoms of all peoples as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The U.N. rights chief, who spoke Monday at the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Council’s four-week session, told a packed chamber that human rights, the cornerstone of the United Nations, are now “at a critical juncture” due to what he said are the self-serving interests of repressive governments, which in his view are taking precedence over international cooperation to advance human rights.

In a sweeping global review of the human rights situation in dozens of countries, Türk highlighted the many atrocities and crimes being committed in all regions of the world.

In a report that spared few governments, he lambasted the human rights record of Honduras, expressing concern about land-related conflicts and “attacks against human rights and environmental defenders.” He castigated Nicaraguan authorities for undermining the human rights of its people “with extremely harsh repression of civil society and a drastically reduced civic space.”

Turning to the war in Ukraine, Türk called on Russia to grant his colleagues access to both Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russian Federation, and to the Russian Federation itself — “not least, to visit civilian detainees, prisoners of war and Ukrainian children and people with disabilities who have been taken to these areas.”

The High Commissioner singled out what he considers egregious cases of abuse and discrimination in sub-Saharan Africa, such as in Uganda, which recently adopted legislation criminalizing homosexuality.

He criticized Mali’s request for the withdrawal of MINUSMA, the U.N.’s peacekeeping mission, saying “human rights must always be above the fray of politics.”

He deplored worsening conditions in South Sudan where violent incidents affecting civilians rose by 12 percent in the first three months of this year. “There has been little action by the authorities to hold perpetrators to account,” he said, “while senior government officials allegedly implicated in serious crimes remain in office.”

Türk slammed Eritrea for its ongoing refusal to engage with the full spectrum of human rights bodies, noting that Burundi also has not granted access to or cooperated with the Council’s Commission of Inquiry or other investigative bodies since 2016.

On the other hand, he said Ethiopia has cooperated with his office, enabling him to send international human rights monitors to the north, where a war in the Tigray region ended last November. The Commission report on Ethiopia is due to be presented to the Council in September.

Türk said he was deeply worried about the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan where “the Taliban de facto authorities have dismantled the most fundamental principles of human rights, particularly for women and girls.”

At a comprehensive examination of the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan that took place later in the day, human rights experts accused the Taliban of practicing a form of “gender apartheid.”

Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, chair of the working group on discrimination against women and girls, said that they were being “erased” in Afghanistan. She said, “women and girls are systematically discriminated against in every aspect of their lives…Women are wholly excluded from participation in political and public life.”

Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, she said the de facto authorities have relentlessly issued edict after edict, “of which the vast majority restrict the rights of women and girls, including their rights to education, work, health, access to justice and freedom of movement, attire, and behavior.”

In his presentation to the Council, Türk expressed concern about widespread human rights violations in Iran including “the massive recent increase in executions, as well as continuing discrimination against women.”

He said he was extremely worried by the deteriorating situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory where he said, “excessive use of force and unlawful killings of Palestinians by the Israeli Security Forces have increased, including apparent extrajudicial executions.”

There were no immediate responses from any of the countries Türk mentioned.

Ending on a more positive note after an otherwise withering look at the worsening human rights situation around the world, Türk said his office’s support of Mauritania’s efforts to end discrimination, notably the persistent issue of slavery, was bearing fruit.

He said, “at least 38 cases of slavery have been brought to court, with 10 judgements made in the first two months of this year.” He commended the authorities’ cooperation “with the special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery during his visit last year.”
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