Wednesday April 27, 2022
Ethiopia’s eastern Somali Region has been hit by three
consecutive below-average rainy seasons, worsening the already deteriorating
humanitarian situation for around 3.5 million people, more than half the local
population.
As a result of the drought, Zeineba, 60, was forced into the
most difficult decision of her life: to leave her neighborhood behind and move
to another village, to save her life and that of her family. “My livestock
perished from lack of water and pasture, and could not survive the harsh
drought anymore. It is painful,” she lamented.
In Somali Region, as in other pastoral areas, livestock are
an essential means of survival for the large majority of people, and key to
generating income in local markets. Millions like Zeineba have lost their
livelihoods, and been forced to move to places where they can receive humanitarian
assistance from local people, government or humanitarian organizations.
As the situation worsened in her village, Zeineba started
out on foot with her seven children. It took them seven days to reach Higlo
humanitarian site for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
‘The situation is
dire’
“This is the worst drought in forty years,” says President
of Somali Region, Mustafe Mohammed Omer. “The government responded on time to
the immediate impact of the drought by providing humanitarian assistance. We
will also continue to work assiduously to mitigate the effect of the drought on
the people.”
“But the situation is dire”, continues Mr. Omar. “Responding
to the increasing needs requires huge resources. Putting all the resources of
the region to the drought response will also derail ongoing large-scale
development initiatives that have long-term and transformative effects for our
communities”.
According to a recent update on the drought issued by Mr.
Omar’s office, an estimated one million livestock have also died across 10
drought-affected zones in Somali Region. Livestock across the region are in
poor health, and many more are expected to perish from increases in disease
during the upcoming rainy season. Vaccination campaigns and livestock feed to
save the core breeding stock are urgently needed.
Preparing for
droughts and floods
Meanwhile, the United Nations, along with partners on the
ground, is supporting affected families with food, water, nutrition, shelter,
and other non-food needs.
“Preparations to enable and support a timely response to the
ongoing dire humanitarian situation, build resilience, and adapt to the climate
crisis are critical for alleviating the impact of the drought on millions of
people in the region”, says Catherine Sozi, the UN Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinator in Ethiopia.
Flooding could occur during the coming rainy season, which
will require a coordinated response and immense resources to protect the
communities already being severely impacted by the drought. Fresh funding is
urgently needed to address the growing needs of the affected population,
including internally displaced persons and the host community.
The UN is supporting longer-term government and community
efforts to help communities to be better prepared to cope with droughts and
other risks in the future, and is working to improve coordination between all
humanitarian bodies in the region.
On Tuesday, Martin Griffiths, the UN head of humanitarian
affairs, will take part in a high-level roundtable on the drought in the Horn
of Africa.