Hargeysa, Somaliland, September 26, 2009 – Recent rains in eastern parts of Somaliland have done little to improve drought-affected pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods in the region, says a local official.

"[By] Allah’s mercy, rains were received in most of the region's districts, but the problem is that the people and the animals are still [affected]. I [still have] to send my relatives in the remote areas animal [feed] and food," Ahmed Aw Dahir, the mayor of Las’anod, in Sool region, told IRIN.

Aw Dahir estimated that about 400,000 people would still need assistance in the coming months due to the effect of the prolonged drought.

"The people in the region will need food assistance in the forthcoming months not only in the countryside, but even in the capital of Las’anod [where] about 20 percent of the population is suffering [a] lack of food," he said, adding that appeals for food have been made at mosques.

"The pastoralists used to sell milk to the urban centers; unfortunately the drought led to the deaths of most livestock," he added.

The low value of the remaining livestock, most of which are in poor physical condition, also meant residents could not afford to buy food.

According to an 8 September report by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit - Somalia (FSNAU), food has become increasingly scarce for the poor because of reduced livestock products (milk) and cereals, the lack of saleable animals and limited job opportunities.

"The pastoralists have no ability to buy foodstuffs in the interim period as we move from drought to the wet season. We are afraid of starvation," Bashir Ahmed Hayir, a resident of Hudun village in Sool, told IRIN.

Poor roads have aggravated the situation, said a local journalist. "People in the remote areas cannot receive food even if they can [afford to] buy it because the rains have closed [off] the roads," he told IRIN.

Almost all pastoral and agro-pastoralists in the northwest have less food, according to FSNAU. In Togdheer Agro-pastoral and Sool Plateau, the pastoralists are facing an acute food and livelihood crisis, with a high risk it could deteriorate into a humanitarian emergency before December.

The situation is similar in Hawd and Nugal Valley, while all agro-pastoral areas of Awdal and Galbeed regions, as well as Golis/Guban, are facing an acute crisis.

The situation is attributed to three consecutive rain failures, low to no calving and kidding and high livestock off-take. Agro-pastoral areas have also suffered crop failure.

According to FSNAU, very poor pastoralists in regions such as Sool, Togdheer, and Sanaag are moving to camps and other villages in search of help. Other coping mechanisms include household splitting, switching to cheaper cereals and skipping meals.

maj/aw/mw

Source: IRIN, September 24, 2009

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