Medical workers strike in Mogadishu

Hundreds of Somali medical workers in the capital Mogadishu held a one-day work stoppage on Wednesday to protest against rampant insecurity in the city, one of the organisers told IRIN on Thursday.

The strike was arranged by the Somali Medical Association (SMA) and supported by a group of 14 civil society organisations, including groups from the education sector, said Dr Muhammad Mahamud Bideey, a member of SMA executive committee.

According to Bideey, all schools in the capital were also closed for the day.

He said that the strike affected "all routine work". "Only emergency cases were worked on yesterday [Wednesday}. Almost all medical facilities in Mogadishu took part," he stated.

Bideey stressed that the insecurity in the city was undermining their work. "We have had medical staff abducted and some maimed or killed," he said.

The aim of the strike was to encourage the residents of Mogadishu take a stand against lawlessness and rampant crime and to "stop supporting criminals for clan reasons". It was also meant to put pressure on the various factions to take responsibility for what happens in areas under their control.

"They [faction leaders] cannot say on the one hand we control this area and on the other not be held responsible for what takes place in that particular area," he added.

The strikers also called on the various leaders in Mogadishu "to set up an all-inclusive administration capable of reining in the current crime wave and providing public service", Bideey said.

In the last six months there has been an increase in the number of abductions, rape, robberies and other criminal activities, blamed mostly on freelance bandits, Mogadishu residents said.

Bideey told IRIN that the SMA and the civil society groups were prepared to call another strike. "This is not a one-off thing," he said. "We will repeat it if things do not improve."