NAIROBI, 19 January 2011 (IRIN) - With drought worsening across
Somalia, officials in the south and central parts of the country -
largely controlled by Islamist opposition groups - have appealed for
access to communities that have reported deaths of people and
livestock.
"This is not about politics; it is about saving lives. Those in
control should not only allow access but take part in reaching those
that need help," Ibrahim Habeb Nur, a member of parliament, told IRIN
on 18 January.
He said the drought could get worse in the coming months, with the
affected populations needing urgent help after losing their
livelihoods.
"We have reports of people dying because of lack of water and food,"
Nur said. "Every region from Ras Kambone [in the south] to Ras Aser
[in the north] is affected.
"We are looking at two to three months with no possibility of rains,"
Nur said. "This is as bad as I can remember. We are facing a
catastrophe and all us Somalis and aid agencies should pull together
to save lives before it is too late."
He said the drought had forced many families into towns and urban
centres in search of help.
Collective effort
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark
Bowden, said on 7 January that access to Somalia's most vulnerable
populations remained critical and urged all parties to the country's
conflict to grant access.
"The increasing threat of hunger and disease caused by the drought
calls for a collective effort by all parties in Somalia to increase
and facilitate access for a broader range of humanitarian actions," he
said. "I call upon all those who are in a position to improve access
to lend their support at this critical time."
A January monthly information bulletin, produced by Somalia's Water
and Land Information Management with the Food Security Nutrition and
Analysis Unit [ http://www.faoswalim.org ] and Famine and Early
Warning Networks, stated that "the very poor Deyr rains in November
and December [2010] have aggravated pasture conditions in all key
pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of the country, with water catchments
and dams dried up earlier than expected".
Abdullahi Abdirahman Ahmed, head of the Humanitarian Affairs and
Disaster Management Agency (HADMA) of the self-declared autonomous
region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, told IRIN the drought had
affected the entire region and was one of the worst in the past 10
years.
"In some villages close to the coast, livestock have started dying;
the remaining livestock is too weak that the people cannot sell it or
eat it."
He warned that conditions in the next four months would be dire. "We
don't expect any rains before May and people are already too weak and
if help does not arrive soon, people will definitely die."
Ahmed said the people in the area depended on water from barkads
(water catchments) for 80 percent of their needs but they had all
dried up.
Dead livestock
In the self-declared state of Galmudug, in central Somalia, the
situation is equally bad. Ahmed Osman Ilmi, an elder, who visited some
of the drought-affected villages, told IRIN by telephone from south
Galkayo that most of the area was experiencing a severe drought.
"I have seen dead livestock, including camels," Ilmi said. "The
situation is really bad."
He said the eastern parts (coastal areas) were more affected. "They
did not have much rain in the last two rainy seasons."
He said the local authorities and individual Somalis had begun
trucking water, "but it is not nearly enough", adding that one water
tanker, with 200 drums (each 200l), costs between US$200 and $250.
"I saw no one dying from the effects of the drought but if the
situation continues I have no doubt they will follow their livestock
[and die]," Ilmi said. "Help is urgently needed."
An estimated two million Somalis need humanitarian assistance,
according to the UN. At least 1.4 million Somalis have been displaced
by fighting between government forces and Islamic insurgents, who
control much of south and central Somalia, including parts of
Mogadishu. Another 600,000 are refugees in neighbouring countries.
ah/mw
[END]
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