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Gallery|Humanitarian Crises

Fighting to survive hunger in Somalia

The lives of 6.2 million people are now at risk in the country because of drought as the war with al-Shabab rages on.

The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
The shelters of nearly 400 pastoralists families, who have lost a majority of their livestock due to drought, have set up camp along the road in search of food and water in Uusgure, Puntland, northern Somalia. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
By Adriane Ohanesian
Published On 2 Mar 20172 Mar 2017
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Puntland, Somalia – A week after his inauguration, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo declared a state of disaster in his drought-stricken country of Somalia, where the lives of 6.2 million people are now at risk.

Even as the ongoing war against al-Shabab continues and African Union forces (AMISOM) fight to assist the fragile government, the looming famine has become a priority.

The drought will be a trial for all those involved in Somalia’s struggles. It will test the international community’s response, the government’s ability to assist, and the strength of security provided by the African Union forces.

In the far north of Somalia, three years with little rain has had increasingly disastrous effects for a population reliant on the land. The parched earth has failed to produce food for the camels and goats that the people depend on for their income, meat, and milk for their children.

Local leaders in Puntland estimate the pastoralists have already lost 65 percent of their animals. While the men accompany the remaining livestock in the hunt for grazing land, the women and children are migrating towards towns on main roads in search of alternative sources of food.

Displaced people have been setting up tents along the roads in hope of receiving aid from passing vehicles.

It’s there the women, children, and elderly wait for assistance in the heat and dust. In the coming months, if the word famine is used to describe the crisis in Somalia, it will mean that help never came. 

The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Mother Layla, 30, takes care of her baby Isse Mohammed who is one year old and being treated for malnutrition in the Hospital Stabilization Center in Garowe, Puntland. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
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The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Children walk through the streets of the dusty Shabelle camp for people who have fled the ongoing fighting against al-Shabab, and also new arrivals that have moved into the city in search of food and water. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
The dusty Shabelle camp for people who have fled the ongoing fight against al-Shabab. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Ugandan African Union forces set out on their morning foot patrol from their forward operating base in Arbiska, Somalia. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Ugandan African Union armoured personnel carriers at dusk along the Afgooye road outside of Mogadishu, Somalia. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
The Ugandan African Union Special Forces are briefed on their night patrol in the Mogadishu Stadium, which serves as their base in Mogadishu. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
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The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
The northern coastline outside of Mogadishu that stretches towards Puntland, Somalia. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
An in-ground water tank sits empty in the town of Shire, Puntland. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Nusaima, 5, climbs around in her family’s home in the settlement for people who have been displaced by the drought outside of Shahda, Puntland. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Khalil, 4, walks out of his home where he stays with nine family members in the settlement for people who have been displaced by drought. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Women and their children wait inside a healthcare centre in Yaka, Puntland. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Miskie, 6 months, who is malnourished, is monitored at the healthcare centre. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Idil Fuae comforts her one-year-old baby Sagel, who has a high fever, as they wait in the healthcare centre. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]
The Fight to Survive in Somalia/ Please Do Not Use
Fatumo, 12, holds her baby brother who she says has been sick from hunger with a fever for the last two months in Uusgure, Puntland. [Adriane Ohanesian/Al Jazeera]


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