Somalia Health Insurance

Somalia is the location of an ongoing Civil War. This means that if you are planning on traveling to Somalia, you should ensure that you have a comprehensive international health insurance plan offering coverage for acts of war or terrorism.

The Somali Civil war began in 1991 and has continued to the present day. Causalities as a result of the conflict are estimated to be between 300,000 – 400,000 people. The first stage of the war began in 1986 with a number of violent actions against the government at the time, the regime of Siad Barre. Having deposed Siad as leader of Somalia in 1991, the country experienced a counter revolution later that year when a significant portion of the population took to the streets in an attempt to have the ousted leader reinstated as head of the Somali government.

In late 1992 the UN sanctioned a peace keeping force to restore order and alleviate famine conditions in the south of the country. The mission was deemed a failure after the United Nations withdrew from Somalia in 1995 without establishing order in the country. Following this UN withdrawal Somalia continued to experience political turbulence and extreme acts of violence on a daily basis. In 1993 the United Nations passed the UN Security Council Resolutions 733 and 746, which had the effect of creating UNOSOM I; the first humanitarian mission in the country since the start of the 1986 civil war.

In 2004 a transitional Somali government was established in Kenya as the internal situation of Somalia was deemed too dangerous for the establishment of a stable, internal government. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) moved to the Southern Somali city of Baidoa in early 2006 following the formation of the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT); the ARPCT represented a coalition of predominately secular, Mogadishu based Warlords. The ARPCT was established by secular parties in an effort to control the spread of Islamic Sharia law throughout the country. The group responsible for the growth of fundamentalist Islamic views in Somalia was the Islamic Courts Union, or ICU.

In June 2006, the ICU had succeeded in taking control of Mogadishu, driving out the secular ARPCT, and expanding the powerbase of the ICU to the borders of Puntland and the southern part of Jubaland province. The expanded influence of the ICU lead to increased confrontations between the Islamists and the Secular movements. This expanded power base prompted Galmudug province to announce itself as an autonomous nation, and saw a secular intervention from neighboring Ethiopia. As a consequence of Ethiopia’s involvement in the country the Islamic state of Eritrea entered the fray, providing mujahedeen (holy fighters) to the ICU, and declaring a jihad (holy war) against Ethiopia.

As a result of the influx of fighter, and foreign support, the ICU took the offensive in December 2006, fighting against TFG and ARPCT elements in what would become known as the Battle of Baidoa. Smaller battles were also waged throughout the country, with the ICU aiming to force Ethiopian troops off Somali soil. The ICU was not, however, successful in its endeavors, ultimately loosing all major battles. On December 27 2006 the leadership of the ICU resigned, resulting in TFG and Ethiopian forces taking control of the country. On January 1 2007, the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government, Ali Mohammed Ghedi, called for a permanent disarmament throughout Somalia.

Following the collapse of the ICU leadership, the United States military entered the country in January 2007; the first time that the USA had a military presence in Somalia since the UN deployment in the 1990’s. The US military objectives in Somalia during this time focused on the capture, or incapacitation, of Al-Qaeda operatives supposedly imbedded in ICU guerilla units scattered throughout the country.

Despite the overall military victories for the Ethiopian and TFG forces, and the complete routing of the ICU leadership, peace has not come to Somalia. Shortly after the ICU ceased open military engagements against their opposition, Islamic paramilitary units orchestrated wide ranging guerilla attacks throughout the country. In conjunction with the heightened risk posed by these ICU guerilla units, a number of previously dormant tribal disputes flared up which saw continued acts of hostility, and violence, across Somalia.

In order to contain the most recent outburst of violence an African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) was established. Created to help enforce the authority of the fragile coalition government, the AMISOM consisted of approximately 8,000 peacekeepers scattered throughout the country. However, as soon as Ethiopia withdrew from Somalia, large portions of the country under their control quickly fell to Islamic backed forces intent on imposing Sharia law; one of the key factors in the initial development of the conflict.

There is no doubt that traveling to Somalia will pose an inherent risk on your safety and health. Continuing clashes between African Union soldiers and Islamic rebels throughout the country mean that there is a high risk of you suffering an untoward accident. There are daily reports of kidnapping, suicide bombers, and improvised explosive devices; painting a picture of a war zone which is still very much active.

Travel to Somalia is strongly discouraged due to dangerous levels of criminal activity and instability. There is a high threat of terrorism throughout the country, particularly in areas frequented by large crowds of people. Piracy is a significant threat off the Gulf of Aiden, specifically with regards to shipping; sailing vessels are particularly liable to attack. Compounding this is the fact that representation by foreign governments is extremely limited in Somalia; this means that should you suffer a serious issue while in the war zone, very little help will be available through the regular channels.

Should you suffer a serious illness or injury while in Somalia, medical facilities can be found in the city of Hargeisa. However, outside of this city, medical facilities can be difficult to locate, and will often be unable to supply medical treatment outside of basic emergency care. In addition to this, there are a number of severe health risks in the country, such as Polio; if you must travel to the country, you should ensure that you are fully vaccinated.

Obtaining a War and Terrorism international health insurance policy can be a challenge; not all health insurance providers will cover acts of war or terrorism under a medical insurance policy. However, as a leading international insurance broker, Pacific Prime can help you to find comprehensive international health insurance policies which will cover for war and terrorism. It is important to note that this coverage is not available from all insurance companies, and that coverage may change depending on the plan which you select.