Attachments
Brief Analysis
Most callers to the Radio Ergo audience feedback platform this week (25-31 August 2022) described harsh if not worsening drought conditions, and called for help with water, livestock fodder, and food. The calls were spread across the country (bearing in mind that historically due to various access reasons there have always been fewer callers to this platform from certain southern regions). Many callers talked about the stress of rising food prices with reduced or no income. There were several calls from displaced people appealing for support. The following summarises the calls by theme.
Drought and water shortage – in the north, there were many calls from Togdher, Sanag, Sool and other parts of Somaliland. Callers in various parts of Togdher said water was scarce and livestock were either already dead or in grave danger. A female caller in Qal’oan said they had some water but there was nothing for their animals to eat. Callers in Sanag said their livestock were too thin to sell or had already perished. Other callers said they had had either no rain or not enough to change the drought conditions. In Puntland, a caller in Alula, Bari, said their livestock were starving. A pastoralist caller in Qardo accused the local authorities of mismanaging the resources and not sharing equally among clans. In Galmudug, a number of callers in Galkayo asked for water aid. A caller in Dusamareb said they needed fodder for their starving animals. A caller in Guriel said they were short of food. A number of callers in Hiran spoke of lack of water and food, and the need for intervention. A female caller said their water well was among those damaged in recent attacks [by Al-shabaab] and she was struggling to support her elderly parents after losing their livestock. Callers in Shabelle regions, Kismayo, and Baidoa spoke of severe drought and water shortage.
IDPs – a caller in Gesaweyn, Somaliland, said neither the government nor aid groups had stepped in to help the displaced who had migrated there fleeing drought. A female caller in Gadudey camp (unspecified location) said they were facing hunger and had not been registered as IDPs. An IDP caller in Kismayo said they faced food and water shortage and needed aid. A caller in Ainabo, Sool, said many displaced people gathered there needed water aid and had been neglected.
Prices – a caller in Sarar, Sool, said they needed the government to control rising food prices. Two female callers in Galkayo said they faced rising food prices due to inflation and needed assistance as well as government intervention to control prices. A caller in Sahil, Togdher, said their livestock had died and inflation had soared. A caller in Dararweyne, Sanag, said they could not sell off their thin livestock and inflation was high. A caller in Hudun, Sool, and another elsewhere in Somaliland identified drought, water shortage, and inflation as their three main concerns. A caller in Bari blamed the drought and inflation on climate change. A caller in South West state said the cost of water had risen from 30,000 to 50,000 shillings and their goats were dying.
COVID19 – callers from different regions noted the presence of Coronavirus, with some saying they were sick.