Drought, Famine and Conflict in Somalia
People in Somalia are facing a trio
of challenges that are exacerbating each other and putting Somalis in very a
precarious and dangerous situation. The crisis in Somalia consists of severe
drought, famine and civil conflict. There has been no rain in the area for
almost two years, prices of food have risen dramatically and the civil war has
been raging off and on since 1991, which makes it too dangerous for aid workers
to reach those who need help the most. The nearest refugee camp is over fifty
miles away in Kenya, called the Dadaab complex it is the largest refugee camp
in the world. Somalis hoping to stay alive and reach safety travel the fifty
miles by foot across treacherous terrain, often risking death on the walk.
There are almost 400,000 Somalis living in the Dadaab complex and over 1,000
new refugees arrive every day. Many of the refugees, if not most, arrive at the
complex extremely malnourished and sometimes on the edge of death. Some don’t
even survive the long journey to the complex. Once refugees reach the complex,
although the conditions are better than what they were facing in Somalia they
are a far cry from being healthy, sanitary or safe. Recently, security in Dadaab has become
high-risk after aid workers were abducted and refugee leaders and Kenyan
security workers were attacked and killed. This led to a tightening of
security, which makes it more difficult for aid to reach the camp. Currently
the Kenyan government, The UN Refugee Agency (UNHRC), their partners, and
refugee leaders are looking for innovative ways to improve the delivery of
assistance and the protection of all people within the camp. They hope to
increase physical security, improve living standards, increase social services
and infrastructure, and improve school enrollment among many other goals. Although
there are many health and humanitarian issues occurring in this situation, I am
going to focus on the famine and hunger.
According to Sheeran’s (2008) article
in the Lancet, the WHO declares hunger and malnutrition to be the greatest
threat to public health, especially when combined with climate change (which
could be a factor in the 2 year drought in Somalia). It is difficult enough
trying to eliminate hunger, without trying to work in a war torn country such
as Somalia. According to the same article, hunger is a threat to safety and
stability and can be extremely detrimental to a country’s social and economic
development. Many countries is Africa, such as Somalia, already have food insecurity
issues without the added effect of drought, inflated prices, limited supplies,
little food aid and war (Sheeran, 2008). Looking at this evidence the aid
effort in Somalia is facing huge challenges and if hunger cannot be reduced,
Somalia may continue in this cycle of war, famine and hunger.
I understand that the basic needs
of these refugees are the first priority and that they must be established
before moving forward. However, I believe that a plan for the future of these people
must also be established. If the conflict in Somalia does not end soon, the
Dadaab complex is not built to sustain the refugees for long term. These
people, who came do the complex with almost nothing but the clothes on their
backs will need assistance getting back on their feet and establishing
themselves anew. So my question is, will these people, who left everything
behind, who are living in a foreign country in near destitution, ever be able
to regain their livelihoods and well-being?
Sheeran, J. (2008). The challenge of hunger. Lancet 371, 180-181.
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