Photo retrieved from: www.guardian.co.uk
“The current drought in Somalia is no ordinary drought. It is the worst the country has seen in 36 years. Most areas have received little or no rain for nine months. Pasture is depleted and cattle and goats are dying in large numbers, leaving thousands of animal carcasses littering the roadsides. People are seeing riverbeds dry for the first time in their lives.
Families are becoming destitute. They are dependent on livestock for survival, and have resorted to desperate measures to try to keep their animals alive. Many have used food normally kept for the family to feed their dying herds, some even going so far as to take the grass off the roofs of their houses, leaving them without adequate shelter. Children in particular are suffering from a lack of food and water. In some areas, malnutrition is affecting over 30% of children, one of the highest rates in the world.
In addition, prices of basic goods are rising and, in some regions, prices for cereals have increased by 135% since last year.
People in Somalia are no strangers to adversity. Since the 1990s they have suffered the effects of civil war and successive droughts, forcing nearly one and a half million people to flee their homes. The UN estimates that the current drought has displaced 55,000 people since January.
This combination of dry spells, violent conflict and rising prices has pushed Somalia to the brink.
The international community must do more to address the current crisis in Somalia. Due to a major funding shortfall, aid agencies are struggling to meet the needs of the 2.4 million people, a third of the population, affected by the crisis.”
Read more: Guardian
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