The drought in Central and Southern Somalia continues to hit hard on the local population. This recurrent situation, compounded by Somalia’s protracted inter-clan fighting, has forced many people to flee from their homes in search of food and water. In recent days, thousands have crossed into neighboring countries.
Implication on neighboring States
Kenya lies to the South West of Somalia. Because it is one of only three neighboring countries, it has had to bear the brunt of accommodating the thousands of fleeing migrants.
UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, at a press conference this week: “Even as we speak, there are significant urban population movements from [Somalia’s] Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions to Kenya. The new waves of refugees from urban areas in central and southern Somalia will join the more than 430,000 Somalis who have previously fled to Kenya.”
The refugee camps in Kenya are swelling in numbers. This January alone, the country received the largest number of migrants that it has received in a single month over a period of more than two years: 8,000 women, men and children.
According to the latest humanitarian reports, Ethiopia, Somalia’s neighbor to the West, is facing the same exigencies that Kenya is struggling with. There are around 40,000 registered refugees in the Dolo Ado camp (Ethiopia).
Understanding the situation
UNHCR reports that over the last 20 years, drought and famine have continued to have a devastating effect on the Somalis. Over two million people in Somalia are said to be in need of humanitarian aid because of the ravaging drought and mounting violence.
According to media reports, a recent study conducted by US scientists warned that food crises in the region can only get worse, putting an estimated 17.5 million people at the risk of hunger in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The study titled: “More Frequent Drought Likely in Eastern Africa,” blamed the famine on low agricultural development and rapid population growth. It said the increased frequency of drought in Eastern Africa was also due to rising global temperatures.
In a recent interview with IRIN news, a Somali woman who has been displaced by these pressures summed it up this way: “Everything seems to be against us.”
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Region: Africa, Horn of Africa, Somalia
Theme(s): Migration, Climate change, Refugees, Relief work
The author is a humanitarian analyst and she writes on migration. Email her on: msanyu@yahoo.com
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