(ERGO) – Hundreds of displaced families have been evicted from houses they had been occupying rent-free in El Jalle, on the outskirts of Beledweyne in central Somalia’s Hiran region, by homeowners making their own preparations ahead of forecast heavy El Niño rains and fears of flooding.
The homeowners concerned have been living in the cheaper, low-lying neighbourhoods of Beledweyne town near the river Shabelle, including Kooshin, Bundoweyn, Howlwadag, Radar, Kutiimbo and Laabka. They had built houses in El Jalle, located on higher ground, as alternative shelter for contingencies.
The displaced families that have been evicted fled conflict and drought over recent years. Most have lost their original livelihoods. They have been left without shelter as deyr rains start in the region.
Salado Abdi Osman was evicted on 20 September from a house in El Jalle where she had lived rent-free for a year and a half. The 62-year-old mother of 12 now shelters under a tree, using plastic sheeting that offers little protection from the rain.
“The situation is very difficult. We were told to leave because flooding was expected. When we see lightning, we wonder where we can go. We live in constant fear and have nowhere to shelter,” she told Radio Ergo.
Families who can afford to do so are moving to higher ground to escape the floods. But Salado’s family is struggling to find shelter and food. Her husband gets odd jobs as a construction labourer in Beledweyne, six kilometres away, earning no more than $5 a day if he finds work.
“Sometimes I can’t cook for the whole day, and the children eat whatever little food we find. My husband spends more days without work than with it. When he finds nothing, we go to bed hungry,” she said.
Salado fled Inabaal, in Mahas district of Hiran, following fighting between local forces and Al-Shabaab. The family’s 46 goats, their main source of income, were seized by Al-Shabaab.
Her children have been out of school since the family’s displacement in 2025 because they can’t afford fees or books and pens. Three boys and one girl had attended school, while the younger children went to Koranic classes.
El Jalle, which lies away from the river on higher ground, has become a refuge during floods. Flooding in 2018, 2019 and 2023 displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Beledweyne, prompting residents to buy land and build alternative houses in El Jalle. The area now has more than 15,000 houses.
Homeowner Abdiwali Hassan Dir has begun repairing his house in El Jalle, after asking a family who had lived in it for free to leave. He built it in 2022 after experiencing repeated flooding and needing somewhere to take his family during emergencies.
“I built a room and a large veranda so we could move there whenever danger arose. I take special care of the house and sometimes take my children there on Fridays,” he told Radio Ergo.
Abdiwali, 44, is a schoolteacher earning $300 a month to support his family of eight children. He fears that permanently leaving Kooshin in Beledweyne town, where he works, would disrupt his income and his children’s education. Moving would also be more costly than he can afford.
From previous experience, however, he knows that the temporary shift to El Jalle will be difficult, as thousands of people of all walks of life will gather there to avoid the floods.
“People displaced by conflict and those fleeing floods will all gather there. There will be many difficulties, and children will lose access to education. Life will become harder for everyone,” he said.
Flooding always disrupts schools, businesses and employment in Beledweyne. Abdiwali said he has not managed to save money for such emergencies, and his teaching salary might stop when flooding occurs. He has fled floods four times and taken refuge in his El Jalle house, which cost him $5,000 to build.
“Work is disrupted, and families lose their income and property. We share the suffering of the community,” he said.
Luul Abdullahi Omar was also evicted from a house in El Jalle, when the homeowners returned to occupy it in September after leaving Beledweyne over fears of flooding.
Luul and her eight children now live in nearby Teedaan internal displacement camp. They depend on relatives for assistance, leaving her struggling to find food, clothing and shelter.
“My son sends us some money each month, but sometimes he has nothing to give. Fifty dollars can’t support a large family for a month,” she said. “If it rains tonight, we have nowhere to go. We have young children and no shelter.”
Luul said this was her fourth displacement since 2022. She previously lived as a pastoralist in a rural part of Mahas, where they lost 150 goats and two camels during conflict between local forces and Al-Shabaab between 2022 and 2025.
