Thursday, August 04, 2011
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ISLAM'S holy month of Ramadan should be a time of celebration and prayer, but for Mohamed Idris, a Somali struggling in the famine-hit and war-torn capital, daily survival is all he can care about.
He abstains from food and water in the traditional dawn-to-dusk fast that began on Monday, as Islam requires all able believers to do.
But when the time comes for the traditional evening celebration of delicacies and specially prepared meals, there is still nothing to eat.
'Every year I used to be able to break my fast in a very good manner,' Mr Idris said, who fled with his wife and three children from the famine-hit Lower Shabelle region into Mogadishu two months ago.
'But not now because the situation is too bad. We don't have food to break our fast with,' the 51-year old added.
Mr Idris fled to Mogadishu despite fighting there in search of food, but the situation in the city has since also spiralled into famine