Thursday October 24, 2024
Families displaced by failed crops seek refuge in displacement camps on the outskirts of Baidoa. Severe drought in South-West Somalia has forced over 120 families to abandon their farms and livelihoods, facing harsh conditions in makeshift shelters. / Credit: Radio Ergo
Mogadishu (HOL) — Jinay Isaaq Hassan has spent her life in the small village of Mintaanyo, tending her six-hectare farm and raising her children. But earlier this year, everything changed. The rains that should have come never arrived, and her crops—sorghum, sesame, tomatoes, maize, and beans—withered in the scorching sun. Now, Jinay and her 11 orphaned children are among 120 families who have fled to the outskirts of Baidoa, desperate for survival.
"We have no food, no water. Our farm failed us," says Jinay, 57, who arrived in Baidoa on June 10 after walking for two days. She searches for work on nearby farms each morning, earning just 40,000 Somali shillings ($1.60) for a full day's labour. It's barely enough to provide a single meal for her large family.
This year's Gu' rainy season was disastrously short, devastating crops in the South-West region of Somalia. In Mintaanyo, located 20 kilometres south of Baidoa, families had planted vegetables and grains with high hopes. But their livelihoods have been wiped out. Jinay, who had anticipated earning up to $500 from her crops, now faces the grim reality of hunger and displacement for the first time in 30 years.
For families like Jinay's, displacement is not only a physical ordeal but also a psychological blow. Six of her children were in school in the village, but now they face an uncertain future. "When we lived in the village, my children could study. Now they have no school, no education," she says.
Abdiqadar Mohamed Ali, another farmer from Mintaanyo, shares a similar fate. He fled to the same camp near Baidoa with his family of five, seeking better conditions. But life here, too, is harsh. They survive on a single meal a day, often provided by neighbours who are only marginally better off.
"I thought we would find a better life here, but we are living day to day. If we eat today, we may not eat tomorrow," says Abdiqadar. His four-hectare farm, primarily growing vegetables, also failed due to the lack of rain.
Like many in the camp, Abdiqadar struggles to find work in Baidoa, just 4 kilometres away. Despite repeated efforts, he hasn't been able to secure employment. "I don't have the skills they need in the city," he explains, his frustration clear. "The drought destroyed everything—our crops, our hopes."
The crisis extends beyond food shortages. Water, a scarce resource in the camp, is fetched from a well 2 kilometres away. The water is dirty, and families are charged 2,000 Somali shillings ($0.08) per jerry can. Many cannot afford it. When they can't pay, they go without.
According to Mustaf Mohamed Hassan, deputy chair of the camp's committee, new families arrive daily, many of them in desperate conditions. "These people are arriving with nothing—no food, no supplies. Their situation is getting worse every day," Mustaf says.
Every year, droughts and conflict drive thousands of farming and pastoralist families in Somalia's South-West state to abandon their homes and seek refuge in camps. Once there, they face overcrowded conditions, limited resources, and the daunting task of rebuilding their lives with little support.
For families like Jinay's and Abdiqadar's, the future is uncertain. As the rains continue to fail and the land remains parched, they are left clinging to the hope that help will arrive before it's too late.