Unseen Enemy

New documentary tells how COVID-19 hit Somalia and how people fought back

Somalia recorded its first case of COVID-19 in Mogadishu on March 2020. The virus would go on to reach every part of the country and even though swift action helped to keep total infection numbers lower than was initially feared, more than 600 lives have been lost to date, (a figure that is almost certainly an underestimate because testing facilities remain limited).

At the same time, the pandemic has damaged an already weak economy, pushing many into poverty and hindering plans for development. UNDP’s own research, an analysis of more than 20 studies undertaken since the pandemic arrived, notes that the effects of COVID-19 have erased gains made since the drought of 2017 and that economic and social recovery is likely to take years.

This documentary, produced by local filmmakers Moulid Hujale and Said Fadhaye, with financial support from UNDP, takes viewers on a journey across Somalia to tell the stories of those who were affected and those who helped to keep infections as low as possible.