Families recently returned from the refugee camps in Dadaab are finding it difficult to rebuild their lives in Baidoa as their farms have been overrun by thick bush.
Many families, returning after 15 years or more away, have been unable to take advantage of the rainy season.
“My farm is now more of a forest than a farm,” said Hussein Ahmed Ibrahim in despair. “There are so many trees and bushes, making it impossible for me to cultivate and plant ahead of the short rains.”
Hussein’s farm is in Lidaale division of Baidoa district. Neighbours of his, like Sadia Hassan Ibrahim, share the problem.
“I was expecting to rebuild my life when I came back,” Sadia said, “but I cannot do so now as a lot of trees have grown on my farmland. It is difficult to dig or even plant. I request the government and well-wishers to help us in bush-clearing as we cannot afford to hire labour nor do we have the necessary tools to do it ourselves.”
Abdi Ali Aden said he fled the country when it degenerated into anarchy but was now willing to rebuild his livelihood if he could. Farming is the only activity he knows, he said, and he hoped one day to harvest again from his own farm.
He said he had relied on food rations donated by aid agencies for more than a decade and wanted to start a new life.
Most of the families who voluntarily returned home from Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya are living in bad conditions in several IDP camps in Baidoa.
While many of them still own their farm lands in Baidoa or elsewhere in Bay region, others have sold their farms and livestock. Qureisho Adan Mohamed, who returned from Dadaab two months ago, is among those who sold his farm. He said he has nowhere to go except the IDP camp.
