Maryan Abdi’s five-year-old son Farah Abdi Hassan died this month of malnutrition in a displacement camp in central Somalia’s Abudwaq district because her livestock had died and she had no food for the family.
Maryam was interviewed by Radio Ergo in Ifo 2 IDP camp where she and her four children have been living since fleeing drought in Shiila-Madow, where most of their 200 goats had perished.
“He couldn’t eat, his belly was swollen,” Maryam told the reporter. “I couldn’t afford to buy him milk and my few remaining goats could not produce any milk. I had nothing to offer him and he did not eat for a week, then he died.
He was a dark skinned boy but I noticed his skin was getting lighter and even his eyes and lips and tongue started going white.”
Farah is one of five people reported to have died of malnutrition in this part of Galgadud region since September 15.
The victims were from different pastoralist families, who were the most recent arrivals in the IDP camps, migrating from Balliad, Shiila-Madow, Ariadays and Tuulo Hanaf between 10 and 30 km from Abudwaq.
The camp coordinator of Ifo 2 said four died in the camps while one died in Ibado hospital.
Dr Gaas, who works in Ibado hospital, confirmed that at least 10 acutely malnourished children were arriving there every day.
Ibado is one of two hospitals in Abudwaq, where doctors say there are around 50 people, including 36 young children, all weak with malnutrition.
“If when we register 30 children, half of them are malnourished. Most of those suffering are children under the age of five and expectant mothers,” he said.
Anab Haybe lost her mother, who was in her sixties, in Ifo 2 camp. Anab and her family with her five children left Balliad, 18 km north east of Abudwaq, after losing 150 goats and 20 camels to the drought.
Anab said she noticed her mother’s decline due to lack of food but was not able to take her the hospital for treatment.
“We saw signs in her feet and hands, her heart beat was fast and she went for 10 days without any food,” Anab said. “We are pastoralist and we don’t know the people here – we can’t afford transport to hospital because the taxi costs four to five dollar… I have not seen any aid vehicles here.”
