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Report drafted by: Ahmed Matan and Shair Ibrahim
INTRODUCTION
Somalia currently is experiencing very worsening drought conditions following the fail of the expected Gu and Deyr rains. The subsequent fail of the normally unreliable raining seasons has prompted severe drought claiming the lives of domestic animals reared for living by the huge pastoral communities in the country. The lack of rains has also affected the farmers and crops have failed. This has caused an alarming humanitarian situation in some regions especially in Kismayo city and its neighboring towns and villages. The populations affected are facing acute water and food shortages and as a result large numbers of IDPs a arriving in Kismayo settling in the already overcrowded IDP camps. There is a need to scale up humanitarian assistance for the affected population. In an effort to do this, ARC team visited different IDP camps within Kismayo to find out the extent of the affected population. The team conducted key informant interviews and group discussions on the 17th January 2017 in the areas mentioned in the table below.
The key findings were as follows:
237 households were displaced from Jamame, Gadudey, Gurbaan, Gandhoble, Haraawe, Bundada, Arare, Jaala, Joogsi, Jilib, Abayle, Bula Gadud, Kamsuma, Yontoy, Kukabir, Birtadher, Naftaa, Abdille Birole area and Buale to Kismayo. The reasons of displacement were stated as search of better life after their farms dried up due to persistent poor rains, pastoralist community lost their sole source of livelihood prompting food insecurity in the entire region. People reported further that conditions deteriorated in area controlled by Al-Shabaab as the militia groups believed the spouse of many women are working with the government hence forcing them to flee.
95 households living in Hanta Biyaha area in Kismayo town for the past one month have serious emergency crises. The IDPs in the areas lack Water, Shelter, medical services, food assistance and are at risks of evictions as they live in privately owned land hindering the setting up of basic infrastructure to ease the situation. They live in very wanting and overcrowded makeshift shelter exposing them to adverse weather conditions of scorching sun and cold nights. Disease outbreak is very likely to erupt due to congestion, lack of latrines and access to safe water. They are forced to buy water from the neighbors’ which is approximately 3,000 Somali Shillings.