{"id":13939,"date":"2022-10-05T07:40:45","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T14:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=13939"},"modified":"2022-10-05T07:40:45","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T14:40:45","slug":"somalia-drought-the-fight-for-survival-as-famine-looms-bbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=13939","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Somalia drought: The fight for survival as famine looms&#8221;, BBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Andrew Harding, Baidoa, Somalia, 5 October 2022<\/p>\n<p><em>Young children are dying in growing numbers in Somalia amid the worst drought to hit the country in 40 years. Government officials say that an even greater catastrophe could sweep the country within days or weeks unless more help arrives.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11faxz6-TagShareWrapper e1nh2i2l0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1ynay8h-StyledInformationPanel e15ad6a66\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1ydmugk-StyledTagContainer ed0g1kj1\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">Related Topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-i7uuy0-Cluster e1ihwmse1\">\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-d7aixc-ClusterItems e1ihwmse0\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-156x968-StyledLink ed0g1kj0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/topics\/crew276py83t\">2022 East Africa drought<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vk3nhx-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/3474\/production\/_126982431_b2a733d6-389a-4d58-ac48-5ee1ef3f018f.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/3474\/production\/_126982431_b2a733d6-389a-4d58-ac48-5ee1ef3f018f.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/3474\/production\/_126982431_b2a733d6-389a-4d58-ac48-5ee1ef3f018f.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3474\/production\/_126982431_b2a733d6-389a-4d58-ac48-5ee1ef3f018f.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/3474\/production\/_126982431_b2a733d6-389a-4d58-ac48-5ee1ef3f018f.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/3474\/production\/_126982431_b2a733d6-389a-4d58-ac48-5ee1ef3f018f.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/3474\/production\/_126982431_b2a733d6-389a-4d58-ac48-5ee1ef3f018f.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Dahir, a young boy, is seen with his sister and mother in front of a makeshift tent in Baidoa\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><\/span><span class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">IMAGE SOURCE, <\/span>BBC\/ ED HABERSHON<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1mget3o-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c22\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">Dahir (pictured left with his sister and mother) recently lost his brother to starvation<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The tears tumbled down 11-year-old Dahir&#8217;s hunger-hollowed cheeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;I just want to survive this,&#8221; he said quietly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Seated beside the family&#8217;s makeshift tent, on the dusty plain outside the city of Baidoa, his weary mother, Fatuma Omar, told him not to cry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;Your tears will not bring your brother back. Everything will be fine,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Fatuma&#8217;s second son, 10-year-old Salat, died of starvation two weeks ago, shortly after the family reached Baidoa from their village, three days&#8217; walk away. His body is buried in the rocky earth a few metres from their new home &#8211; the grave already covered in litter and increasingly hard to spot as new arrivals set up camp around them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;I cannot grieve for my son. There is no time. I need to find work and food to keep the others alive,&#8221; Fatuma said, cradling her youngest daughter, nine-month-old Bille, and turning to look at six-year-old Mariam as she gave a rasping cough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">On the other side of the dirt road that loops to the south-east, towards the coast and Somalia&#8217;s capital, Mogadishu, other displaced families told more grim stories of long treks across a drought-parched landscape in search of food.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\"><strong>&#8221;No strength to bury my daughter&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">A new survey has shown that almost two-thirds of young children and pregnant women in the camps are suffering from acute malnutrition, which, along with a high death rate, could indicate that a localised declaration of famine is already overdue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;I saw my daughter [three-year-old Farhir] die before me and I could do nothing,&#8221; said Fatuma, who had walked for at least 15 days with her nine children from a village called Buulo Ciir to reach Baidoa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;I had been carrying her for 10 days. We had to leave her by the side of the road. We had no strength to bury her. We could hear the hyenas closing in,&#8221; she continued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/5B84\/production\/_126982432_60daaaa3-0eb2-43ed-b523-2efed830fbcf.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/5B84\/production\/_126982432_60daaaa3-0eb2-43ed-b523-2efed830fbcf.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/5B84\/production\/_126982432_60daaaa3-0eb2-43ed-b523-2efed830fbcf.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/5B84\/production\/_126982432_60daaaa3-0eb2-43ed-b523-2efed830fbcf.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/5B84\/production\/_126982432_60daaaa3-0eb2-43ed-b523-2efed830fbcf.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/5B84\/production\/_126982432_60daaaa3-0eb2-43ed-b523-2efed830fbcf.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/5B84\/production\/_126982432_60daaaa3-0eb2-43ed-b523-2efed830fbcf.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Habiba (a woman wearing a blue headscarf) is seen with a piece of string\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><span class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">IMAGE SOURCE, <\/span>BBC\/ ED HABERSHON<\/span><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1mget3o-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c22\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">Habiba Mohamud says her home village is unrecognisable<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve brought nothing with me. There is nothing left at home. The cattle are dead. The fields are dry,&#8221; said Habiba Mohamud, 50, clutching a piece of twine in one hand, and acknowledging that she will never return to her village.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">A succession of droughts, turbo-charged by climate change, is now threatening to end a pastoral way of life that has endured for centuries across the Horn of Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Like other new arrivals, Habiba was busy erecting a tent for her family from branches, twigs, and scavenged scraps of cardboard and plastic sheeting, hoping to finish it before the chill of night. Only after that could she turn to finding food and medical help for some of her five children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">On the admissions ward in the city&#8217;s main hospital, Dr Abdullahi Yussuf moved between beds, checking on his tiny, emaciated patients. Most were children between two months and three years old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">All were severely malnourished. Some had pneumonia and many were battling a new outbreak of measles too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Few infants had the strength to cry. Several had badly damaged skin, broken by the swelling that sometimes accompanies the most extreme cases of hunger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;So many die before they even reach a hospital,&#8221; said Dr Abdullahi, watching his team struggling to connect an intravenous tube to the arm of a moaning two-year-old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\"><strong>&#8216;It&#8217;s terrifying, people are dying&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Although Somali officials and international organisations have been sounding the alarm for months about an impending famine in this south-western region, Dr Abdullahi said his hospital was already short of basic items including nutritional supplements for children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;Sometimes we lack supplies. It&#8217;s terrifying, actually, because people are dying, and we can&#8217;t support them. Our local government is not handling this well. It has not been planning for the drought or for the arrival of displaced families,&#8221; he said, with visible frustration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">A local government minister conceded there had been failings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;We need to be faster than we are, and we need to be accurate\u2026 and more effective,&#8221; said Nasir Arush, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs for South West state, on a short visit to one of the camps around Baidoa. But more international support, he insisted, was key.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-8qq2fh-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/16D61\/production\/_126973539_somaliasloomingfamine_640-nc.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/16D61\/production\/_126973539_somaliasloomingfamine_640-nc.png 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/16D61\/production\/_126973539_somaliasloomingfamine_640-nc.png 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/16D61\/production\/_126973539_somaliasloomingfamine_640-nc.png 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/16D61\/production\/_126973539_somaliasloomingfamine_640-nc.png 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/16D61\/production\/_126973539_somaliasloomingfamine_640-nc.png 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/16D61\/production\/_126973539_somaliasloomingfamine_640-nc.png 976w\" alt=\"Somalia famine graphic\" width=\"640\" height=\"632\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;If we don&#8217;t receive the aid we need, hundreds of thousands of people will die. The things we&#8217;re doing now we needed to do three months ago. In reality we are behind. Unless something happens [fast] I think something catastrophic will happen in this area,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The process of formally declaring a famine can be a complicated one, reliant on hard-to-pin-down data, and, often, political considerations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Britain&#8217;s ambassador in Mogadishu, Kate Foster, described it as &#8220;essentially, a technical process&#8221;. She pointed out that during the 2011 drought &#8220;half of the 260,000 deaths happened before famine was declared&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/7B4D\/production\/_126956513_mediaitem126956108.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/7B4D\/production\/_126956513_mediaitem126956108.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/7B4D\/production\/_126956513_mediaitem126956108.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7B4D\/production\/_126956513_mediaitem126956108.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/7B4D\/production\/_126956513_mediaitem126956108.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/7B4D\/production\/_126956513_mediaitem126956108.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/7B4D\/production\/_126956513_mediaitem126956108.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Man walking on arid land leading donkeys pulling a cart of wood. There are women, some carrying babies, behind him\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><span class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">IMAGE SOURCE, <\/span>BBC\/ ED HABERSHON<\/span><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1mget3o-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c22\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">Local people have been migrating from their villages to Baidoa in search of resources and medical care<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The presidential envoy leading Somalia&#8217;s international effort to secure more funding thanked the US government, in particular, for recent new funding, saying it &#8220;has given us hope&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">But Abdirahman Abdishakur warned that without more help, a localised crisis in one part of Somalia could quickly spin out of control.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;We were raising the alarm\u2026 but the response of the international community was not adequate,&#8221; Mr Abdishakur said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;Famine is projected. It happens [already] in some places, some pockets, in Somalia, but still we can prevent the catastrophic one,&#8221; he continued, speaking by phone during a stopover in Toronto, Canada.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\"><strong>Women fleeing, men stay behind<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Although estimates vary, the population of Baidoa has roughly quadrupled in the past few months, to around 800,000 people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">And any visitor will quickly notice one striking fact: almost all the new adult arrivals are women.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Somalia is at war. The conflict has endured, in different guises, since the central government collapsed three decades ago, and it continues to affect almost every part of the country, tearing men away from their families to fight for an array of armed groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Like most of those arriving in Baidoa, Hadija Abukar recently escaped from territory controlled by militant Islamist group al-Shabab.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;Even now I&#8217;m getting calls on my phone from the rest of my family. There is fighting there &#8211; between the government and al-Shabab. My relatives have run away and are hiding in the forest,&#8221; she said, seated beside her sickly child at a small hospital in Baidoa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Other women spoke of husbands and older sons being blocked from leaving areas controlled by the militants, and of years of extortion by the group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Baidoa itself is not quite surrounded by al-Shabab, but it remains a precarious place of refuge. International aid organisations, and foreign journalists, require heavy security to move around, and any travel beyond the city limits is considered extremely risky.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;We&#8217;re looking at populations that are under siege. Sometimes it feels quite hopeless,&#8221; said Charles Nzuki, who heads the UN children&#8217;s fund, Unicef, in central and southern Somalia.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/0D64\/production\/_126982430_somalia2.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/0D64\/production\/_126982430_somalia2.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/0D64\/production\/_126982430_somalia2.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/0D64\/production\/_126982430_somalia2.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/0D64\/production\/_126982430_somalia2.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/0D64\/production\/_126982430_somalia2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/0D64\/production\/_126982430_somalia2.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Mohamed Nunu Hasia\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><span class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">IMAGE SOURCE, <\/span>BBC\/ ED HABERSHON<\/span><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1mget3o-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c22\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">Mohamed, aged 30 months, has just arrived in Baidoa and is in a critical condition, as is his mother<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">According to some estimates, more than half the population affected by the current drought remains in areas controlled by al-Shabab. <a class=\"ssrcss-k17ofw-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-africa-62787446\">Strict US government rules blocking any assistance from benefitting designated terrorist groups<\/a> have complicated efforts to reach many desperate communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">But international organisations, and the Somali authorities, are working with smaller local partners to increase access and are now planning air drops into some contested territories.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Still, one aid worker, speaking off the record, acknowledged that it was almost impossible to guarantee that no food or funds were reaching al-Shabab.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;Let&#8217;s not be na\u00efve, [al-Shabab] taxes everything, even cash donations,&#8221; they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Over the years, the militant group has established a reputation not just for violence and intimidation but for delivering justice in a country with a hard-earned reputation for official corruption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">In at least four villages close to Baidoa, al-Shabab runs a network of Sharia courts that are routinely used by the city&#8217;s residents and, reportedly, by people in Mogadishu and beyond, to settle business and land disputes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Further to the north-east, a sudden uprising against al-Shabab has seen local communities and clan militias &#8211; now heavily backed by the central government &#8211; drive the group out of dozens of towns and villages in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The military successes have prompted a surge of optimism, but it is not clear if that will help in the fight against famine, or simply distract the Somali government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;It might, or it might not [help]. I think it may create more [civilian] displacement. Or the government might liberate more areas and people might have more access [to aid]. So, we&#8217;re looking at it from all sides,&#8221; said local minister Nasir Arush.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-wpgbih-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/543D\/production\/_126956512_mediaitem126956104.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/543D\/production\/_126956512_mediaitem126956104.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/543D\/production\/_126956512_mediaitem126956104.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/543D\/production\/_126956512_mediaitem126956104.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/543D\/production\/_126956512_mediaitem126956104.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/543D\/production\/_126956512_mediaitem126956104.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/543D\/production\/_126956512_mediaitem126956104.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Birds-eye view of Baidoa\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><span class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">IMAGE SOURCE, <\/span>BBC\/ ED HABERSHON<\/span><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1mget3o-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c22\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-1f39n02-VisuallyHidden e1y6uwnp0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">Baidoa is providing a safe haven for those fleeing villages with no resources<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">In Baidoa itself &#8211; a busy city of narrow, cobbled streets scarred by decades of conflict and neglect &#8211; the prices of basic goods, like rice, have doubled in the past month. Many residents blamed the drought, but others also looked further afield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;Flour, sugar, oil &#8211; they&#8217;ve all risen by about the same amount. Sometimes we have to skip meals. I heard about the war between Russia and Ukraine. People say that is the root cause of these problems,&#8221; said Shukri Moalim Ali, 38, walking over to her dry well, and barren vegetable patch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">While the fight to ward off a deeper, spreading famine is the immediate focus in this region, Somalia&#8217;s new government is also looking ahead, seeking to address more existential questions about the future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;It is a challenging task, to respond to the drought, to fight against al-Shabab, and to campaign to access [international] climate justice finance,&#8221; Abdirahman Abdishakur said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;We have a young population, an enormous diaspora, and vibrant entrepreneurial skills. So that gives us hope. It&#8217;s challenging, but we don&#8217;t have an alternative.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Andrew Harding, Baidoa, Somalia, 5 October 2022 Young children are dying in growing numbers in Somalia amid the worst drought to hit the country in 40 years. Government officials say that an even greater catastrophe could sweep the country within days or weeks unless more help arrives. Related Topics 2022 East Africa drought IMAGE [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13939"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13939"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13940,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13939\/revisions\/13940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}