Turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy followed the expulsion of Somalia’s last legitimate and internationally recognised government in the early 1990s.
Economic downfall and the disintegration of social infrastructure - including all public, governmental and private institutions - meant schools, hospitals and any health institutes were demolished, abandoned or confiscated to serve as privately owned structures.
Lawlessness, looting, killing and raping ensued, and to date the situation has worsened with ordinary civilians caught in the midst of the conflict between the interim Somali Government and UIC fighters.
One of the first international NGOs to bring relief to the Somali people, Muslim Aid was part of the massive aid effort directed at Somalia during its most turbulent times.
In 1993, the Muslim Aid Somalia field office was established in Mogadishu in response to the civil war. A branch office was also set up in the southern port city of Kismayo the following year, with this later becoming a field office in 1999.
Over the years, Muslim Aid Somalia has implemented various projects in health, education and the emergency relief sector, particularly after the last drought. One of the incredible education projects that has achieved remarkable success is the Basaso College. It was initially started as a college in 2006 and has now expanded to form a university. The University of Bosaso currently has 532 registered students in various departments.
