All of
sudden, at 11.00 PM, gun shooting whirred to our ears while chatting in dining hall in WFP-Wajid,
Somalia on Sunday, 17 August 2009. Our romantic talks on our holidays
plan out from duty station Somalia were sharing each other. We all shook on our
chairs and immediately covered ourselves down on floor and the security officer
screamed from his bed room and ordered
to move to bunker with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The cross fires’
sounds were extremely sharp as if penetrating to ears. Despites
several series of UNDSS security training and briefing, all of us almost lost
our sense of security protocals. The attack was really unexpected, so close
and so revolting. However, every one of us was aiming to save oneself from the brutal
attack and rush within a minute or two; we dumped ourselves to so called
tin roofed bunker. Literarily, the bunker was not as to the UN standard.
Immediately, we
did head-counts and found all eleven international UN personnel residing in the
compound were in bunker so quickly. We were from Uganda, Sierra Leone, Albania,
Nepal, Sudan, the Netherlands, Kenya and Britain including two UNHAS pilots and
one flight engineer.
We made a
quick security response plan in the bunker and allocated responsibilities among
ourselves. The Security Officer (SO) to look after outside the building within
the compound and coordinate with WFP 25 security guards in the main entrances of
the compound whereas, I supposed to coordinate among staff inside the building and
communicate with UN senior officials to WFP, CO Nairobi, Kenya and update the
situations to them. The SO and I were updating frequent inside and outside information,
and our top most urgent and precarious concern was, what to do if the Security
Guards at the main entrance run out of bullets during the continuous cross
firing. In the worst case scenario, if the bullets runout, most likely the
rebels may enter to the bunker & either kill all of us or kidnap us and
take away. We did not have other choice, we couldn’t run out from the compound
because outside would be even worse situation. Everyone has an impression that
night is his or her last night. There was no choice other than preaching god,
praying god, communicating colleagues through mobile etc. No choice, we all had
to face for the worst case scenario.
One after
other, three injured guards with full of blood were brought inside the bunker for the
possible treatment (First-Aid). Luckily, one of our colleagues from Britain was
a Nurse. He offered his level best support. The injured guards were still reporting
us that they have already down three to four rebels and many more got injured. Witnessing
bleeding and injured guards, our colleagues got extremely terrified and almost
lost their hope.
By that time, we were confirmed by the Somali security guards that the
attackers are Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda-inspired armed group that controls much of southern and central region
of Somalia, fighting with their government. We didn’t know the clear motive of the attack but we guessed that they
wanted to take over the whole compound and food wearhouses and eithrr kill or kidnap all the foreign (international) UN staff. Somalia is the fertile land for the terrorists to collect ransoms
after kidnaping international aid workers. Somalia is always considered as a haven for Islamist militants
plotting attacks in the region and beyond. Somalia has been mired in civil war
for 18 years, and the Somalia President has lost controls and have only small
pockets of the coastal capital Mogadishu in grips.
After
hours of heavy fighting, the gun fire suddenly got paused. We thought they might
have changed their fighting strategy and they may attack with different tactics.
The SO rushed to inside bunker and updated us the situation outside. He said,
if they have not given up the fighting, they may attack us in different ways. Either,
they attack from one of the remaining three entrances of the compound or they
may use heavier types of equipment to fight against us from distance . In that
case, our guards can’t fight with them. Our guards may defeat rom them and that
could be the end of our whole efforts. The commander of the guards was instructed
to be extra vigilant over the rebels and to maintain the moral of all the security guards any how.
Everyone
became quiet and all seemed to be deadly tired, sweltering top to bottom as if all
of us were just drown in the swimming pool. All were immensely dehydrated, though there
was enough water in the bunker. I had been frequently
insisting them to drink water as much as they can. Everyone was whispering and prying to god and recalling their family members and love ones. Being Nepalese and grown in Hindu family, I was very much influenced to preach “Gaayatri Mantra” internally several times. I ever had preached this mantra before for such purpose. Except me, all of them contacted their family members and colleagues explaining the situation and begging for support. I did not try to call my family at all because I thought calling may not help to resolve the problems. Rather, that would make them panic unnecessarily.
insisting them to drink water as much as they can. Everyone was whispering and prying to god and recalling their family members and love ones. Being Nepalese and grown in Hindu family, I was very much influenced to preach “Gaayatri Mantra” internally several times. I ever had preached this mantra before for such purpose. Except me, all of them contacted their family members and colleagues explaining the situation and begging for support. I did not try to call my family at all because I thought calling may not help to resolve the problems. Rather, that would make them panic unnecessarily.
Then
the situation in the bunker became a pin drop silent like “quiet before a heavy
storm”. We did not hear any gun shooting
and firing anymore for couple of hours. We thought, either the attackers were defeated
by our guards or preparing to shell to our compound by hand grenades to take
over the compound. When, we were discussing the likelihoods scenario of
grenades attack to our bunker, one of our female colleagues from Kenya
screamed, cried loudly and said “I have left my 9 months babies back home, please don’t say this, I have to see her soon”. That was the most painful and disheartening
moment which, I experienced in the bunker.
While
there was heavy exchange of cross fires at the main entrance, one corner of my
heart said that today is my last day of my life, so I was very infuriated and
could not plan or think for anything else. But after the paused of cross fires and
quiet moment, my inner gut said again that I might not be killed but could kidnap
today. Then, I checked my Backpack properly, whether all my important
belongings (passport, money, credit card, ID, hard disk, medicines, laptop and water) were arranged and kept into the bag.
Then,
we made telephone calls to few local elites, leaders and WFP national staff in
the town, if they have any sense, where the attackers would have ended up? Have
they left the town or still around? Many of them could not answer since it was
the dark and scary night. They were also hiding in their own homes. But later
on, we were informed that they left the town and went towards to bush next to
the town or close to Air-strip where UNHAS (United Nations Humanitarian Air Service) managed planes parking area.
The
time was just 03.15 AM and still very dark outside even not one meter visibility. Time was not moving at all. We felt a year to pass an hour. Desperately,
we were anticipating dawn in the sky and to keep ourselves alive by tomorrow
morning. Since, we did not hear any gun shooting for some hours, we guessed
that they left the area. Then at 04.30 AM, our hopelessness phase slowly turned
to hopefulness... perhaps, we will survive now. Then we took opinion of pilots
and flight engineer, if they can fly out from Wajid, Somalia to Kenya now? But they refused to
fly out now because there was no lighting provision at the Airstrip and can’t
take off without lights or in poor visibility. But they may take off at 5.00 AM
provided the aircraft is untouched from the attackers. Later on, a local
security staff confirmed that the plane or aircraft was intact. However, the rebels may have
in-filtered in the bush close to airstrip and there is high risk of shooting at
the plane while taking off.
We
got a green signal from UNHAS Nairobi Kenya HeadoHead Office to fly down to Nairobi, if there is no
any significant security problems at the airstrip. The SO, investigated several
information from different local sources and he reached to a conclusion that
that was the appropriate time to take off the plane from Wajid. We all grabbed our 12kg 'Quick Run Bag' consisting of laptop, essential travel documents. We left test all our belongings behind guesthouse, Wajid. We lost all those belongings for ever. The plane was small
with just 9 passengers capacity including flight engineer. But we were altogether
11 passangers in total. I can’t remember now, how all 11 people accommodated in the aircraft but we flew to Nairobi? I realized when we made half way to Kenya that two of our colleges were squeezed with two others in just two seats.
After
boarding to the aircraft, pilots briefed us that still there is high possibility of last
moment firing to us from the bush and if the bullets reached to the plane there
is high chance of plane crash. So the pilots were prepared for emergency take
off, which is different from the normal take off. The plane took off so quickly
and it went like a rocket, straight up and up so that he can avoid shooting at the plane from
the bush.
After
five minutes in sky, we all took a long breaths, looked each other with smiles
and exchanged our millions dollars greets to each other. “Thank god!! We have survived and escaped out from the hell. That was my last day in South Central Somalia. Later on, I
came to know that the UNWFP Wajid compound became under Al-Shabab controls for sometimes.
A horrendous night in Wajid, Somalia.
