A mob of thirsty monkeys and starving people have fought over water in the pastoralist village of Yaqle, about 70 km from Gedo’s regional district of Garbaharey. The monkeys are said to have overpowered a group of local people at the weekend, injuring four people including a 13-year old girl. The monkeys effectively took control of the village’s water pan.
“The people unexpectedly saw a troop of thirsty monkeys approaching them and before they were prepared to fight back, the monkeys were biting and clawing at the people and throwing stones,” Abdirahman Ismail Mohamed, the chairman of Yaqle village, told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. He said none of the monkeys were killed or wounded, but they drank as much water as they wanted and later left the place.
However, the villagers who went back for water later on said that all the water had been drained and none remained for them. The region is one of five regions that Somalia’s National Disaster Agency warned could face a repeat of the 2011-2012 drought and famine and is facing extreme water and food shortage.
