Roundup: Droughts Send Thousands of
Somalis out for Living
Story Filed: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 1:46 PM EST
MOGADISHU (March 28) XINHUA - Thousands of families in Somalia's
border regions with Ethiopia are leaving their native villages to the main towns in search
of food and water after the continuous droughts have deprived their herds and farms.
According to local authorities, eight children have died of hunger or related disease
such as tuberculosis and diarrhea since Monday in Huddor district alone.
Mohamed Moallim Meris, district commissioner of Huddor town, told the reporter that the
arrivals of the destitute families are now adding to the burden on Huddor town where the
engine-water-pumped well is still functioning.
He said that several villages have been deserted after their motorized water wells were
destroyed by the civil war and the hand-dug shallow water wells dried up owing to
persisting droughts.
There are quite a large number of people and herds dying of starvation and famine in
the remote villages and countryside, the commissioner said.
"There are also entire families who are missing after they left their villages and
could not probably make it to the towns," said Meris, who characterized the situation
as desperate and the worst experience they have ever seen since the Daba-Dher in the
country in 1974.
There has been no enough response from the international aid agencies, the business
community in Huddor town Monday provide food and shelter for hundreds of people scattered
in the town.
The women organization of the town, in collaboration with the business community, were
also collecting donations for the starving people.
"Everyone paid what he could, some have offered money, others dry food, but still
some more have offered cooked meals," said Hajiyoh Owliyoh Mohamed Yarow, a
well-known old lady who advocates for the women and children.
The women group, headed by Yarow, organized a large rally in which people worshipped to
God to alleviate them the droughts and bring about peace and rains for the subsistence
farmers and herdsmen who dominate the region.
Similar difficulties are also being reported in the neighboring regions of Bay and Gedo
where the communities are mainly nomads and subsistence farmers.
Nonetheless, rains are being expected in 30 days at most and some of the farmers,
especially those who could afford, have already begun preparing their lands for the coming
season.
However, the majority of the farmers are far behind the ability to prepare for farming
after they have been displaced by the droughts.
Copyright © 2000, Xinhua News Agency, all rights reserved.
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