For almost 20 years, Somalia has been without an effective government while the civil war continues. Basic Emergency Services have been absent from the entire country and especially in the capital city Mogadishu.

Location: Mogadishu, Somalia

For the past 20 years the Somali Civil War has continued on and the City of Mogadishu has changed hands many times. Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda sponsored terrorist group provided no emergency services during its administration of the city. The fighting between Al-Shabaab and the Islamic Courts Union/African Union Coalition destroys the city and sometimes starts fires because of the use of explosives by both sides. During the Ethiopian Occupation, large amounts of Landmines, Grenades and RPG Ammunition were brought in by the Ethiopian Military to combat Al-Shabaab. After years of attempting to quell the war on behalf of the Somali people, the Ethiopian military withdrew leaving behind thousands of dangerous weapons which fell into the hands of militants and eventually started fires.

Because of the high cost of maintaining and operating emergency services. the responsibilities of emergency services have fallen on AMISOM, The African Union mission to Somalia. When a fire in Somalia, AU forces send fire fighters to save life and property, but unfortunately because support comes from across the border it can take a very long time to respond and when they arrive many lives and property are often lost. The reestablishment of the fire service by the Somali people with the support of the AU is a big step in the right direction.