New patches of young, bright green growth dot the sandy terrain of Dollow but for the 150 000 Somalis who have left home to seek help in this southern town, the little recent rains are not enough.
East Africa’s worst drought in 40 years has forced millions of Somalis to leave their homes. Five consecutive failed rainy seasons pushed the fragile nation to the brink of famine and this year is unlikely to be much different.
“We are malnourished, the land is dry, I can’t afford to go back,” said Khadijo Mohamed Omar from outside her dome-shaped home made of sticks and orange fabric. The 35-year-old farmer made the week-long trek late last year after two of her children died from malnutrition. She gave birth to a seventh child about two months after she arrived at the ever-growing UN-supported camp in Dollow.Somalia managed to avert an official famine declaration last year thanks to a massive influx of humanitarian aid, but tragedies like Omar’s persist.
Even without the famine declaration, there were 43 000 excess deaths in Somalia in 2022 linked to the drought, researchers found. Half were among children under five.
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