Photo | Swiatoslaw WojtkowiakA civil war has gripped Somalia since 1991. For the past 17 years the African nation has been in and out of the news as the crisis becomes more and more dire. Many Somalis try to escape their country’s conditions by fleeing to neighboring states such as Kenya or Yemen. Those traveling to Yemen must cross the Gulf of Aden, a journey not all survive. A 2005 BBC estimate stated that an average of 30 boats filled with one thousand people set sail for Yemen each month. Those who arrive safely ashore are provided with UN medical care and transportation to a refugee camp, most often to Al Kharaz, one of the largest sites.

Unfortunately many do not survive journey. Human traffickers often find it easier to kill their customers than risk being caught by the Yemeni coast guard, and smugglers willingly shoot passengers who move and rock the boat. This trip is also treacherous, as boats have capsized in the past. One such case occurred in January 2006, leaving 70 Somalis dead. The latest estimate was that nine thousand Somalis and a few Ethiopians lived in the Al Kharaz camp situated in the desert, far away from any city.

Although there is reasonable safety and basic necessities such as water, schools and hospitals, conditions there are rough. Despair and hopelessness prevail; there are no jobs, no source of income and no way to move forward. These refugees are faced with future in the middle of the desert, in foreign country, with no hope of escape. New generations are born into the camp, never having seen their homeland. While the situation in Somali often feels distant and detached from our lives, the stories and faces of some of Al Kharaz’s refugees bring this hidden crisis to the forefront.

The following series of images were taken Swiatoslaw Wojtkowiak in Decemeber 2007. You can visit his Web site, www.nygus.info, or contact him at nygus@nygus.info for more information.

Mouse-over thumbnails to view enlarged images.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 am and is filed under Photo Essays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.