By Sarah Newey
Three months ago, Dahir’s youngest children made a seemingly trivial decision that would cost them their lives. Amina and Muhammed, aged four and six, drank the dirty water lurking at the bottom of the rocky crater, all that was left of the oasis.
They had few other options – water is increasingly scarce across Sanaag, an arid region in eastern Somaliland. But within days, the pair had developed severe diarrhoea. Dahir, increasingly fearful about their deterioration, was desperate to take Amina and Muhammed to a health clinic in nearby Garadag.
Yet the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 40 years had decimated his livestock – his goat herd dwindled from 300 to just 30 over 18 months. As he lost his animals, he lost his income. Soon, he’d lose his children, too.
“The water wasn’t healthy… they got very sick,” Dahir said, wrapping a scarf over his head to protect against the harsh midday sun. “I couldn’t get the money for transport to bring the children to the stabilisation clinic… my beloved died.
“I was so heartbroken, I felt like I can’t do anything to support my children,” he told the Telegraph. “They were so lovely, we had hoped for a great future for them.”
‘If you lose your animals, you’ve lost your livelihood’
Now, as Dahir mourns the death of his children, he is also contending with an increasingly uncertain future. The severe drought also threatens the pastoralist lifestyle which has sustained his family for generations.
In Somalia and Somaliland – a de facto country internationally recognised as northern Somalia, despite declaring independence 31 years ago – at least 805,000 people have already been forced to leave their homes in search of food and water this year.
Source: The Telegraph