It was early morning hours—9:00 am to be exact. And one would assume that the weather would be cooler with the heat gradually gaining ground as the day goes by. However, in Fedeto locality of the Somali Regional State, the heat pounds heavily over everything. The scorching sun from above and the heat that comes from the ground are unbearable. Nonetheless, for local residents and people who have been internally displaced because of the El Niño induced drought, everyday life seems to continue regardless of the harsh environmental conditions.
Currently, Ethiopia is facing the worst drought in recent history and because of this drought more than ten million people are in need of assistance, according to the Government of Ethiopia and humanitarian agencies.
One of the severely affected areas is the Somali region where more than three million people are currently dependent on food assistance from the government and humanitarian agencies. 1.5 million people are directly affected by the drought while 1.6 million people are under the Safety Net Program.
Many residents of the region describe the current drought as the worst drought in their lifetime. Elders, who have lived through many droughts, said that livestock, on which communities depend on, were devastated. It is estimated that more than 600,000 animals died in Siti zone, the northern-most part of the Somali Regional State.
People, who are severely affected by the drought, have even given it a name. “We’ve named this drought Mulia. It means that it erases every asset on the ground,” 65-year-old Eltise Muse Bah told The Reporter.
“I’ve never witnessed such a devastating drought. With other droughts, which we lived through before, a considerable number of animals managed to survive; however, the situation this time around is totally different and serious where almost all our livestock have died,” he said.
Another victim is 37-year-old Dehabo. She used to own ten camels, more than 200 goats and sheep and some 20 cows. However, the effect of the drought has left her with only three goats and one donkey.
“I don’t know how we can continue life. We are dependent on food that is being provided to us by the government and donor organizations. Our future is on the hands of Allah,” she said heartbrokenly.
“Without livestock we can’t go back to the life we used to live. This is the only thing we know how to do,” Dahbo said.
In Fedeto there is a school, which has a school feeding program supported by the government and Save the Children. At the school, students can get nutritious food and water to drink. That is the one place children can get proper meals.
Across Ethiopia more than 10 million people are affected by this drought, with another 7.9 million already supported by the government’s Food Security Productive Safety Net Program.
Following the Ethiopian government’s October 2015 appeal for assistance, long-standing international partners and organizations have been ringing the alarm bell as they go into action in places like Fedeto to avert a humanitarian crisis.
To help prevent escalation of an already serious situation, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) on April 8 announced a package of 122.5 million euros to help Ethiopia tackle the problems of the drought.
The Ethiopian government has repetitively stated that the assistance from the international community is below expectation. The government announced that it needed 1.4 billion dollars; however, the money that has so far been pooled is only 51 percent of the required. Still, the government says that the support and assistance has continued.
Regarding this, the commissioner of the National Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Fund, Mitiku Kassa, told The Reporter that the latest assistance (122.5 million euros) has increased the contribution but that does not mean that the entire required amount has been secured.
“Currently, in some areas, belg rains have started but it will only reduce the shortage of water and will not solve the problems we have with regards to food shortage, therefore, the support should continue,” he said.
Both the government and donors are saying that they are working relentlessly, and the people affected by the drought are waiting and praying for a better future so that things would get back to how they were.
