(ERGO) – Two consecutive failed rainy seasons have unleashed devastating drought across Mudug region, plunging families into a desperate fight for survival. Malnutrition, acute water scarcity, and the burden of debt have combined to leave communities on the brink of starvation.

Abdirisak Yusuf Ali and his family of 17 have been struggling to get meals, forcing him to move around the village seeking help from other families who might be able to offer cooked food to his children.

“Food has become scarce since we could no longer obtain credit. I owe approximately $480 in debt. The reason we were cut off is that there has been nothing coming back from our farm, as the rains we depended on failed,” he told Radio Ergo.

He explained that his family’s situation had worsened over the past three months after losing all hope on rain. Three weeks ago, they were denied further food credit from a store in Wisil in Mudug. The store owner insisted that he must clear his previous debts before he could get more.

Some small amounts of food they used to get from his relatives also stopped, as they too are struggling with the widespread hardship affecting the area.

Abdirisak, who has been a farmer for 16 years, said that he had never experienced such a crisis since 2017, when Somalia experienced one of the most devastating droughts on record.

Every rainy season he had prepared his land for planting, but every time the rain failed his efforts were wasted.

“This farm is four hectares. It was prepared for planting beans, sorghum, watermelon, vegetables like tomatoes, pepper, and watermelons. But when we sowed the seeds, the rain never came,” he stated.

The last successful harvest from his farm was in February 2024. He earned a profit of $500, most of which went to clearing debts and meeting his family’s basic needs. Since then, his family has survived solely on support from others.

The collapse of his farm has left him in despair. He wishes he could get money to hire transport to relocate his family to another area to escape the grim circumstances they are faced with in this part of Mudug.

“We used to have a good life, growing crops without worries. But now, our situation is dire. It is an unbearable drought. It is a life of hardship. There is a difference between when we had a good harvest and now. Right now, we are just wondering where we will find food,” he told Radio Ergo.

Abdirisak added that the water shortage was acute. He said the shallow wells in his village had turned salty, making the water undrinkable. As a result, a barrel of water transported to the village now costs $5.5, which they cannot afford.

The drought-induced crisis is affecting hundreds of farmers in Lasgamey, Hero-dhagahley, Hareri-dheere, Amaara, and Aad in southern Mudug, some of whom are attempting to migrate to urban areas in search of better living conditions.

Farah Hassan Ahmed, a father of nine, is facing severe hardship in the village of Hero-dhagahley.

The crops they relied on from their two-hectare farm have failed, leaving them with two difficult choices—either to move to another location seeking a better life, or to struggle with food shortages. He has no money for transport anyway, forcing them to stay put.

They had a food stock of three sacks of beans and sorghum from the harvest from the last favourable rains, but that is all finished.

“Our family depended entirely on this farm. We have no livestock. Only eight goats are left, but they are not providing any benefits. The farm was our lifeline, but this year it has failed completely. The last meaningful harvest we saw was during the previous Gu’ rainy season. The last Deyr season brought no rain at all, and before that we barely got anything from the farm,” Farah said.

Farah, who has no skills apart from farming, would take on labour jobs but there are no opportunities in his village. The nearest town with possible work is Galkayo, but he has no money to move there.

He explained that when his farm was productive, he used to earn between $300 and $1,000 per season in addition to the food and vegetables they grew for his family’s own consumption.

“The current situation is extremely difficult. People depended on their crops, and now they have nothing. Right now, we have nothing to cook, nothing to sell, and nothing to give to others in need. That entire system has collapsed. We are in the middle of a very difficult time,” Farah said grimly.

He is looking for alternative ways to support his family and escape this crisis, although the main preoccupation is the daily scarcity of water and food.

The deputy governor of Mudug region, Abdi Hussein Mohamed, told Radio Ergo that they witnessed the hardship and hunger resulting from the failed crops, which had severely impacted the local population.

However, he added that the scale of the need in these villages was beyond the capacity of Galmudug authorities to handle alone. He called for collective efforts to support the struggling families.

Source: Radio Ergo