Confronting conflict.

• Author: Ifill, Annette
• Position: UN peace missions

After working with the United Nations in New York for over 20 years, it was with a feeling of excitement and anticipation that I prepared for my first assignment with a peacekeeping mission in a conflict area.

In 1993, I was part of the United Nations electoral team in Cambodia which supervised successfully the first election in over 30 years and the formation of the new government there. A year later, in April 1994, buoyed from the experience of working alongside the Cambodian people, I applied for and was accepted for UNOSOM II in Somalia. This was the effort by the United Nations to accomplish a similar mission, as well as assist in humanitarian efforts to end the famine and combat the many diseases afflicting the Somalis. It was reported that the population had been reduced by almost half, due to famine, disease and casualties of the civil war. Then, in June 1995, I joined UNAVEM III in Angola.

While assigned to UNOSOM II in Mogadishu, I worked as an editor for the newspaper Soomaaliya MAANTA, which means Somalia Daily. In addition to international staff members, our section comprised local freelance journalists, translators, typesetters, printers and distributors. The dangerous situation in the country prevented anyone other than Somalis from going out to get material for the newspaper. Payment was given for each article accepted and they were submitted in Somali and then translated into English. The stories were on events in the country, including the various ways the people dealt with the civil war, and the practical self-improvement projects they were carrying out to rebuild their lives. Soomaaliya MAANTA was published in English and Somali and distributed mainly to the Somalis who also used the English version to improve their language skills.

Our Somali colleagues also used every opportunity to learn from us whatever they could about reporting, typesetting and printing. We in turn learnt to respect the differences in cultures and customs.

Having lived in Trinidad and in the United States where heavy rain or snow storms would be reasons given sometimes for not going to work, I could not help but be amazed that not even gunfire and mortar shelling hindered the Somalis from reporting for duty.

Another observation I made was that they are avid soccer fans, and the World Cup Series was a good diversion for them from the local perils. There were few buildings equipped with generators and most homes were without electricity and running...