(ERGO) – Nuro Abdullaahi Mohamed, a mother of nine, fled to Shilanwayne in central Somalia’s Galgadud region, when fighting erupted near her home in Cadakibir 10 kilometres away on 14 August.
“We have tied some clothes we had onto a tree to make a shade for ourselves as the trees don’t have any leaves,” she said. “We are sheltering here under one of the trees during the day and sleep under another tree at night. We tie a piece of cloth to the side of the tree when it gets cold.”
Nuro is having to go out early in the morning to beg for cooked food from the residents of Shilanwayne, although she sometimes returns empty handed. In Cadakibir, they had a two-roomed home and lived off the sale of milk from their 19 goats, making $2 a day to supplement her husband’s earnings as a builder
“We are living in a dire situation since we fled our homes. We don’t have water, food and shelter. We ask for help from relatives, friends and well-wishers,” she said.
Around 2,500 families from Cadakibir, 65 km east of Adado, are facing similar hardship in Shilanwayne, Dagahdheer, Quraar and Ardo after running away from conflict between Somali government and Galmudug state forces with Al-Shabab.
Around 1,500 families are displaced in Shilanwayne, most of them being fed by the area residents, with each family giving whatever cooked food they can spare to four or five newcomer families. Water is being sold at four dollars per jerry can from private water storage tanks.
Ayan Mohamoud Adan, a mother of seven, said they have accumulated a $74 debt for the water they have bought on credit in just a few days. Her husband carries the water in a jerry can on his back daily. They wanted to flee to a place where cheap water was available but ended up having to walk to Shilanwayne.
“We wanted to move to Adado but the driver wanted $150 to transport me and my children. That was too much, no one here can afford it. If we had that money we would use it to cook for the children. There are a lot of hardships here,” said Ayan.
Ayan used to sell tea and her husband was unemployed. The family now relies on one meal at night from a local resident.
Cadakibir is now under the control of the Somali government forces, but the displaced families say they fear further conflict and are not ready to return to their homes.
Shilanwayne commissioner, Hassan Jama Yusuf, told Radio Ergo that the 700 families resident in the area are committed to supporting the displaced families.
“When these people reached us we tried our best to help them. We asked the residents to host them but due to the large numbers some of them had to camp under trees. We gave them the few mats we had and food, but their needs are beyond us,” he said.
The displaced families have not received any help yet from the regional administration or wider public. The commissioner warned that aid was needed as soon as possible.
