(ERGO) – Clan conflict and the burning of property in Adale in central Somalia’s Mudug region has led to the displacement of more than 120 families to a rural area.
Armed men set fire to houses and property in the remote town of Adale on 31 July, intending to permanently remove the families from their homes. Fire destroyed 20 homes and businesses, and caused an exodus of families to a village further in the rural area.
Iid Nur Awale, a father of 13, lost his food shop and his home. He estimates his total losses to be worth around $10,000, and his family is now living under a tree. They have only been able to cook one meal a day with a small amount of food donated by others.
“We got food from what people collected for us when the fire was still fresh. We got sugar and flour from Wisil. Now, we’re looking for help from the public and the government,” he said.
Iid said his shop was the largest in the area and made a daily profit of at least $20. The disaster happened right after he had restocked his shop that he had run for eight years.
They just managed to escape with all the children and couldn’t save anything from the shop or house. He added that he tried to move his family to Wisil, 35 km away, but couldn’t afford the $30 transport fare.
Safiyo Hasan Jaama, a mother of nine, also lost her home and everything she owned. Her family, including her nine-month-old baby, is living under a tree, exposed to the daytime heat and cold nights.
She said she has to beg for food from other displaced people and can only get a kilo of food a day, which isn’t enough for her family.
“My home was burned down, which caused us to flee to the bush. I’m struggling with a lack of shelter and water, and my possessions were all burned there,” she said.
Safiyo said the fire destroyed the only asset her family had left, which was their home, as they had already lost 30 goats to a two-year-long drought.
She is now in debt for $240 for food she took on credit from local shops. She also owes $45 for water. She is worried that the shopkeepers will stop giving her credit.
Safiyo, 43, said this was the worst situation she had ever experienced. She is the sole provider for her family because her husband is elderly and unable to work.
The affected families have not received any aid from relief groups or government administrations since they were displaced on 31 July.
The governor of Adale, Abdullahi Salad, said he had sent appeals to the Galmudug administration and aid agencies, but there had been no response yet. He warned that the people would need aid within the next two weeks to avert further deterioration of their situation.
The governor added that the families had no way to recover from the disaster, especially since a similar incident happened two years ago when Al-Shabaab burned down Adale destroying much property and many assets.
