Somalia: ‘I love working with dedicated teams who want to make a positive change in this world’
By: Amelia Stewart
Tags: United Nations, Logistics, Somalia, Hunger, Humanitarian

Somalia: ‘I love working with dedicated teams who want to make a positive change in this world’

To mark World Humanitarian Day, Ali Yackub, a WFP Logistics Officer in Somalia, talks about what makes him tick

Ali, right, checking relief items in Beletwyne — one of the worst flood-affected areas of Somalia. Photo: WFP/Ali Yackub

“I’ve been stationed in some of the remotest regions of Somalia, but I’m currently working in Mogadishu, the capital, helping coordinate for the Logistics Cluster, supporting the transportation of critical cargo, on behalf of our humanitarian partners. I joined WFP in 2007.

“My day usually begins on the runway. I get to the airside office at 07:30 to activate the day’s plan for cargo movements. It’s often extremely hot. During the past few months when floods and COVID-19 response were at their peak, I’d work from dawn until dusk with little or no break.

“Unprecedented heavy rains caused devastating flooding and have displaced over one million people. We have also experienced the worst desert locust upsurge in 25 years — they’ve destroyed farmland and thousands of livelihoods.

A plane is loaded at Mogadishu airport. Photo: WFP/Ali Yackub

“When coronavirus broke out, humanitarian needs soared. Some call it a ‘triple threat’ emergency. Needs were urgent. Many roads were made impassable by the floods. Air transportation was quickly identified as the best way of shifting relief supplies.

“Lockdown at Mogadishu airport caused delays in getting cargo and passengers onto the planes. Those days were non-stop. I would be on the phone, out in the baking sun, following up with transporters, airline operators, the airport authorities and the partners themselves and rushing between offices and the warehouse.

“For the flood response, we moved sandbags for the Government to help populations affected by the devastating flooding earlier in the year. We are also supporting the World Health Organization and the Somali Ministry of Health in transporting vital medical equipment and supplies, such as hospital beds and oxygen tanks.

Ali starts his day on the airstrip at Mogadishu airport. Photo: WFP/Ali Yackub

“A major challenge can be when cargo doesn’t arrive on time, and passengers don’t show up for the flights we have organised. Other issues can arise when there are delays landing clearance at smaller airports. You can plan an entire flight, load up the cargo and get ready to go, only to be told you can’t land at your destination because some paperwork is missing. As the cargo we are moving is so critical, this aspect of the job can be quite stressful.

“After nearly three decades of instability, Somalia is now on a positive trajectory, following the re-establishment of the Federal Government in 2012. However, the country continues to struggle with recurrent food and nutrition crises, widespread insecurity, political instability, underdeveloped infrastructure, and climate shocks such as drought and floods.

“World Humanitarian Day has made me reflect on why I am working in this sector. I love working with dedicated teams who want to make a positive change in this world.”