(ERGO) – More than 300 families displaced by conflict between Somali government forces and Al-Shabab militia in villages around Mahas in Somalia’s Hiran region are unable to support themselves in the camps they fled to in Beledweyne.
Many of the families arrived with nothing after abandoning their homes in villages including Goobo and Waab-weyne, where military operations began late last December.
Salado Abdi Osman, a mother of 11, said she can’t make a proper meal for her family in Tedaan displacement camp.
“We hardly find anything to eat and we just stay quiet. There is no work here and no way to earn money. On the days we get food for breaking the fast we consider ourselves lucky. The hardship we are living in is very severe,” she told Radio Ergo.
Salado looked for cleaning jobs in Beledweyne but is new to the area and opportunities are scarce. Her husband looked for casual labour on construction sites but was turned away because employers prefer workers they know.
Water is scarce and Salado depends on other local IDP families for what they can spare.
“We do not have a pipe connection and we can’t afford to buy water. I go to neighbours and ask for a small container of brackish water so we can break our fast. We never see clean water, and we can’t afford the $3 it costs to buy a barrel from water trucks,” she said.
Displacement is a new experience for the family, who lived in a modest but stable home with two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom in Goobo village near Mahas.
Six of Salado’s children have had stop their primary school and Koranic education, as schools in Beledweyne charge around $12 per student a month that is beyond Salado’s reach.
Salado and her family walked nearly five days and nights, covering 70 kilometres on foot, to reach the camp as they couldn’t afford transport. The parents carried their three-year-old twins, while the older children had to walk the long distance.
Before the conflict forced them to flee, the family relied partly on livestock, owning around 30 goats. In their hurried departure they were forced to leave behind their five remaining weak goats that could not survive the journey.
Also in an IDP camp now is Arabo Gure Sabriye, a 67-year-old grandmother caring for seven orphaned grandchildren. They fled Wab-weyne village near Mahas in early January and have been struggling to survive ever since.
Arabo said she receives an occasional dollar from relatives living in Beledweyne, but when that support does not arrive she has no choice but to beg.
“At this time of Ramadan, we have nothing for breaking the fast. The only way we eat is when someone helps us or when I ask relatives for support. Since Ramadan began we have been living like this,” she said.
The family lost most of their livestock when they fled. Only 11 goats remained behind in their village, which they were unable to bring with them.
They now share a makeshift shelter provided by another displaced family in the camp. It’s cramped and offers little protection from the weather. She had hoped they would find aid in the IDP camp but life has turned out to be very harsh.
“Since arriving in Beledweyne we have received no real help,” she said. “Only once did we drink water that was being distributed. We fled the fighting hoping to survive, but there is nowhere to return to because the conflict continues.”
Arabo often borrows containers from neighbours to fetch water, but sometimes the owners take them back when they need them, leaving the family without a way to collect water.
Two of the children have been suffering from fever for the past week, but she can’t afford to take them to hospital and there is no health facility in the camp.
Arabo said she recently learned that their house in the village was hit by mortar fire and burned down, destroying any hope of returning home.
Local officials say the displaced families are facing multiple hardships at once.
The coordinator of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in Hiran region, Abdirahman Abdullahi Gesdir, told Radio Ergo that many of the displaced people are living in extremely difficult conditions.
“The most serious problems they face are lack of shelter, water shortages, and hunger,” he said. “This is happening during one of the worst drought periods, and it has coincided with Ramadan. Many people are also sick, but they cannot afford medical treatment and the health facilities in their home areas are closed.”
He said local authorities had managed to deliver small amounts of aid to the most vulnerable families, but the assistance was not enough to meet the growing needs.
