Somali members of parliament called yesterday for international help to clean up tonnes of hazardous waste dislodged by the Asian tsunami, which they say is causing breathing problems and skin infections in Somalia.
A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report released last month said the tsunami had dislodged hazardous materials in Somalia, which for years had been used as a dumping ground by other countries for their nuclear waste.
The report said the dumping was made easier by the break-down of law and order in Somalia after the overthrow of military dictator Mohammad Siad Barre in 1991.
"The earthquake hit the coastline of Somalia and threw out ... containers containing toxic waste," MP Awad Ahmad Ashra said here.
"There are several reports of a wide range of medical problems such as abdominal haemorrhage and unusual skin disorders,'' he said.
The MPs accused European firms of dumping toxic waste such as uranium, mercury and lead in Somalia for more than a decade.
Meanwhile, Somalia's exiled leaders arrived back in Kenya on Friday after spending a week on their first trip home since taking the helm of the lawless country's transitional government last year, officials said.
President Abdullahi Yousuf Ahmad and premier Mohammad Ali Gedi had a successful "meet-the-people" tour and were welcomed in several towns in Somalia, presidential spokesman Yousuf Esmail Baribari said yesterday.
"People showed their willingness to welcome their government when it decides to relocate. Every town pledged to make an effort to contribute to the relocation process," he added.
