Stories from the Horn #147
February 8, 2022
In December 2002, a European man was killed in Hargeisa, Somaliland. My family moved to the country about 6 weeks later, early 2003. October 2003 we fled. Our emergency flight out took us to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where we crashed at a small guesthouse and tried to put our heads and hearts back together. We were there about 3 days. I haven’t thought about those days for a long time, that intermediate period between Somaliland and the next 10 weeks in Kenya. But a recent conversation brought memories flooding back of those confusing days.
I remember someone saying, “Aren’t you thrilled to be here?” and I stared at her, stunned. I remember meeting friends of the murdered man. I remember trying to get a satellite phone connection so we could tell our families where we were, that we were safe. I remember doing a puzzle. Puzzles sustained me during that whole period. I wrote about it for the New York Times here.
You can read more about why we had to flee in Stronger than Death. Annalena’s story is still one of the most challenging stories I have ever heard. Read her story and ask yourself how you could love more, be less afraid, and move toward need rather than comfort.
Stories from the Horn
Djibouti plants trees in green initiative. I have to wonder, then, why they continue to chop down all the lush, thriving trees? I’ve written about it before and if you live here, you’ve seen the aftermath. Someone help me understand, please.
Nebraska guard at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti
Djibouti aims for full electrification by 2035
Significant khat growth in the Horn of Africa
The New Yorker briefly features The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed, about a Somali sailor
Somaliland farmers work together to protect fields from floods
Somaliland offers the US military access to its port as it pushes for statehood
While the world has moved on to paying attention to Ukraine, there are continued reports of drone attacks in Ethiopia. Here’s what the BBC reported this week.
See you in two weeks.