(ERGO) – Around 150 families who lost their livestock in Somali Region of Ethiopia, and others from parts of Galgadud region in Somalia, are desperate for support in a displacement camp in Adado, in central Somalia’s Galmudug state.
Maryan Isse Osoble, 70, said her family arrived in the camp from Ethiopia on 13 December after drought wiped out most of their livestock, leaving them with no source of food or income.
However, conditions in Kulmiye camp near Adado are harsh and they are unable to get aid or jobs.
“We were not people able to live in urban places, but we came to this camp because of hardship. What we receive is not real support. People living in town give us small amounts just to keep us alive. At night we cook maize and sorghum. We have nothing else. We don’t have milk, and we survive by stretching what little we get,” Maryan said.
They lost nearly all their 80 goats. The six goats remaining are weak and unproductive. With no food or water in their village of Balaldher in Dollo zone, they had no choice but to cross the border into Galmudug in search of survival.
They walked about 40 kilometres before finding a vehicle that gave them a free ride to Adado. Since arriving, even getting water has been a challenge.
“There is no nearby water source. We carry plastic containers in groups of three to the nearest water point two kilometres away [in Adado]. Everyone goes where they think they might get water. We carry it on our backs making three or four trips a day. We use small containers just to survive,” she said.
The distance from the town also limits their access to casual labour jobs. Maryan feels they don’t have skills suited for urban employment, having always lived in rural areas.
“Today, we have no hope. We are people driven here by hardship. We have nothing in our hands. We are hungry, we have no animals, no water. Our daily life is extremely difficult, but at least we are still alive. We ask for whatever help can be given to us,” she said.
Sadiyo Isse Aden says she can’t provide sufficient food for her nine children in Kulmiye camp. They abandoned rural Dadheer in Ethiopia, after losing 80 goats to drought.
“You can see where I fetch water. My elderly parents live with me and suffer from high blood pressure. This morning I left at 6am and I’m still searching for something to cook. If neighbours can’t help, we have no animals to support us nor any wages. We can only wait for God,” she said.
Sadiyo’s husband abandoned her last November, during the peak of their livestock losses caused by drought. In Kulmiye, she tried to earn income by selling firewood in town, but as she is pregnant she became too exhausted to continue.
“We have no real shelter. Our hut is made of plastic bags tied to sticks. It protects us from the sun, but not from rain or thieves. This is a town, and criminals move freely. Our situation needs an urgent response,” she said.
Ali Mohamed Ali, 67, is among the small number of men in Kulmiye camp trying to support their families through casual labour. He was displaced with his eight-member family from Dhudub in Ethiopia, where they were left with only six goats.
He tried stone-breaking and other physically demanding jobs, hoping to earn enough to feed his family, but his age and fitness meant he couldn’t keep up.
“I thought I could manage casual work, but my body failed me. This work needs strength. I am old now, and the injuries I carry came back. After trying several times, I could not continue,” he said.
Ali said over two years of drought he had lost 94 goats, destroying the pastoralist livelihood he relied on for decades.
