Aamin Ambulance

Last updated

Aamin Ambulance is a free, 24-hour ambulance service in Mogadishu, Somalia. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

Aamin Ambulance was co-founded by dentist Abdulkadir Abdirahman Adan. Abdulkadir was inspired by Abdul Sattar Edhi, the founder of the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan.

Organisation and funding

Aamin is a volunteer organization which operates a fleet of 10 ambulances in Mogadishu. The ambulances were brought second-hand from Dubai for around $5,000 each, and the World Health Organisation donated two vehicles. [1] Other donations include walkie-talkies from the UNDP [3] and a first aid course from the ICRC in 2016, but most of the funding comes from Somali citizens – medical students and local businessmen – to support operations that cost around $12,000 per month in fuel, salaries and supplies. [1]

Aamin respond to calls ranging from minor injuries and illnesses to terrorist attacks. On October 14, 2017, a truck bomb killed over 300 people in the Hodan district of Mogadishu. Aamin ambulances brought more than 250 injured to hospitals for treatment. [2] Response to any call is made more difficult by the large numbers of road blocks in the city, and by soldiers who block their access [4] and sometimes fire at them. In 2008, an ambulance was destroyed, and the driver and patient killed, by an Ethiopian tank shell. [1]

The organisation is nonetheless well regarded by the Federal Government; HA Hawa Mohamed Hassan of Somalia's Health Ministry has given Aamin an honorary certificate. The government does not fund them, but supports them and encourages other aid agencies to do so as well. [1]

Related Research Articles

Humanitarian aid workers belonging to United Nations organisations, PVOs / NGOs or the Red Cross / Red Crescent are among the list of protected persons under international humanitarian law that grant them immunity from attack by belligerent parties. However, attacks on humanitarian workers have occasionally occurred, and become more frequent since the 1990s and 2000s. In 2017, the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) documented 139 humanitarian workers killed in intentional attacks out of the estimated global population of 569,700 workers. In every year since 2013, more than 100 humanitarian workers were killed. This is attributed to a number of factors, including the increasing number of humanitarian workers deployed, the increasingly unstable environments in which they work, and the erosion of the perception of neutrality and independence. In 2012 road travel was seen to be the most dangerous context, with kidnappings of aid workers quadrupling in the last decade, reaching more aid workers victims than any other form of attack.

The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more than 17,200 volunteers and 3,400 staff. At the heart of their work is providing help to people in crisis, both in the UK and overseas. The Red Cross is committed to helping people without discrimination, regardless of their ethnic origin, nationality, political beliefs or religion. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron of the society until her death in 2022, and was replaced by her successor King Charles III, who previously served as president between 2003 and 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edhi Foundation</span> Non-profit social welfare programme in Pakistan

The Edhi Foundation is a non-profit social welfare organization based in Pakistan. It was founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1951, who served as the head of the organization until his death on 8 July 2016. Bilquis Edhi, a nurse by profession, used to oversee the maternity and adoption services of the foundation. The Edhi Foundation is headquartered in the city of Karachi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leelkase</span> Somali sub-clan of Darod

The Leelkase or Lailkase or Lelkase is a major subclan of the Tanade Darod clan. The term "Leelkase" is a nickname, which translates as "farsighted, mindful, smart or intelligent”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John Ambulance (England)</span> First aid organisation based in England

St John Ambulance is a employee - led with a CEO, charitable non-governmental organisation dedicated to the teaching and practice of first aid and the support of the national emergency response system in England. Along with St John Ambulance Cymru, St John Ambulance Northern Ireland, and St John Scotland, it is one of four United Kingdom affiliates of the international St John Ambulance movement.

Aden Hashi Farah Aero was the military commander of the Al Shabaab. He was from the Ayr sub-clan, part of the Habar Gidir, which is a branch of the Hawiye clan. He was reportedly married to Halima Abdi Issa Yusuf. He was among several militants killed in a U.S. airstrike on 1 May 2008.

The timeline of events in the War in Somalia during 2006 is set out below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali civil war (2009–present)</span> Present phase of the Somali Civil War, concentrated in southern Somalia

The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia. It began in late January 2009 with the present conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops and al-Shabaab militants who pledged alliegence to al-Qaeda during 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycle responder</span>

A cycle responder is a medically trained responder, such as a paramedic or first aider that uses a bicycle to respond to a medical emergency. They are used by professional ambulance services to respond to emergency calls and also by private and voluntary providers of medical cover at events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawa Abdi</span> Somali activist, physician (1947–2020)

Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe was a Somali human rights activist and physician. She was the founder and chairperson of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation (DHAF), a non-profit organization.

The Federal Government of Somalia is the internationally recognised government of Somalia, and the first attempt to create a central government in Somalia since the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic. It replaced the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia on 20 August 2012 with the adoption of the Constitution of Somalia.

Yamyam or Yam Yam was a Somali poet and playwright. Yamyam was one of the main contributors for the Somali National Academy of Culture (SNAC), also known as the Somali National Academy of Arts, Sciences and Literature. He was active as a poet from the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 timeline of the Somali Civil War</span>

This is a 2017 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings</span> Terrorist attacks in Somalia

On 14 October 2017, two truck bombings took place in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, killing at least 587 people and injuring 316 others. Almost all of the casualties were caused by one of the trucks, which detonated when the driver, while attempting to escape from security officials, crashed through a barrier and exploded in the Hodan District, destroying a hotel. The intended target of the attack is believed to have been a secure compound housing international agencies and troops. The second blast happened close by, killing two people. A third explosives-laden truck was captured by police.

The Dayah Hotel attack occurred on 25 January 2017 when a hotel in the Somali capital city Mogadishu was attacked by al-Shabaab gunmen and car bombs, killing 28 people and injuring 43 others. Taking place shortly after 08:00 on a Wednesday morning, the attack began when a car filled with explosives rammed the gate of the Dayah Hotel, a luxury hotel popular with politicians, and detonated. Immediately after, four armed militants attempted to storm the hotel – however Somali security guards shot the men dead before they reached it. As emergency services and journalists converged on the scene, a second car bomb detonated, causing more casualties.

On 18 January 2020, a suicide car bombing killed four and injured at least 20 others in Afgooye, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Most of the casualties were police officers protecting Turkish contractors building a road. The al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Events in the year 2020 in Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–2022 Somali parliamentary election</span>

In 2021, elections for the Federal Parliament and subsequently the President of Somalia were due to take place, following a national agreement to reschedule them from the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Events in the year 2022 in Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Somali Ministry of Education bombings</span> Double car bombing attack in Somalia

On 29 October 2022, 121 people were killed and over 300 were injured by a double car bombing in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused Sunni jihadist group al-Shabaab of carrying out the attacks, which they admitted. The bombing marks the deadliest attack in Somalia since the 14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings at the same junction.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Houreld, Katharine; Sheikh, Abdi (6 April 2017). "As Somali bombings spike, an unlikely savior steps forward" . Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 Allison, Simon. "The unsung heroes responding to Somalia's deadliest attack". Mail & Guardian . Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  3. "Mogadishu's free ambulance service: a godsend to victims of violence". United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. "Chaotic response to Somali bombing cost lives, medics say". Reuters. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.