Somalia Drought Crushes Herders' Lives

In this photo taken Wednesday, March 8, 2017, herder Ahmed Haji, 30, recounts how he trekked thousands of kilometers with his herd in search of greener pasture in a remote desert area near Bandar Beyla in Somalia's semiautonomous northeastern state of Puntland. Ahmed Haji turns from his visibly dehydrated animals and whispers: “I am lost”. Trying to flee the worsening drought, he trekked thousands of kilometers with a herd that once numbered 1,200. But hundreds perished during the arduous trip to Puntland, in northern Somalia, in search of greener pasture. The land here dried up not long after he arrived, leaving his animals weak from hunger and thirst. “They are now dying one by one”, the 30-year-old said, shading his face from the scorching sun. His goats drank water from a plastic barrel and picked dry leaves from plants nearby. “I don't even think these remaining ones will survive in the next two months”, Haji said. He left his wife and five children behind on his eight-day trek, fearing they wouldn't survive. Now he wonders about himself. Somalia has declared this drought a national disaster, part of what the United Nations calls the largest humanitarian crisis since the world body was founded in 1945. An estimated 6 million people in this Horn of Africa nation, or about half the population, need aid amid warnings of a full-blown famine. Two consecutive seasons of poor rainfall, longer in some areas, have caused large-scale crop failures, the U.N. humanitarian agency says. It is not clear how many people, or animals, have died so far. Animals are central to many in Somalia. The United Nations says more than half the population is engaged in the livestock industry. The drought threatens their main sources of nutrition and survival. Many wells have dried up, forcing herders to risk long treks to remote areas. Water prices have spiked, with a single water tanker now going for $150. Somalia is part of a massive $4 billion aid appeal launched last month for four nations suffering from conflict and hunger. The others are Nigeria, Yemen and South Sudan, where famine already has been declared in two counties. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP Photo)
Somalia Drought Crushes Herders' Lives
   
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