Up to 70 farming families have been forced to move to Bardale town in Bay region after their crops were destroyed by a long dry spell in the region.
The families fled their homes in Toosweyne, BuuloHawo, Aflawe and Garobay settlements in the district.
Bardale social affairs chairman Mohamed Ali Ishaq told Radio Ergo that the displaced families, mostly farmers, had been arriving in the town since the beginning of the week.
He said most of them had camped at a former government building.
Abdi Dhayow Amin told Radio Ergo he had left his farm and come to the urban centre because of the persistent drought that had ruined their crops. He said they had no food left in their stores.
Hamdi Hassan Ali, from Aflawe, said she arrived in Bardale a few days ago with eight other farming families.
“We have small farms and we depend on rain to grow our crops. When the rain failed to come, all the crops we grew dried up,” she said.
Sumayo Hassan Aden, a mother of seven, said she lost all her animals and crops in the drought.
“I had planted sorghum on my farm, but it dried up due to lack of rain. Here in Bardale, I am working as a housemaid. I am also getting jobs at construction sites if I can. I am struggling to earn a living for my children,” she said.
