Nearly 600 families living in Kur-libah internal displacement camp, 12 kilometres from Burao in Somaliland, are facing a humanitarian crisis, without any basic services available and no aid.
This camp lacks all essential services including clean water, healthcare, education, as well as job opportunities.
Since cash aid that was being provided by World Vision ceased towards the end of last year, many families have had to abandon the camp and moved away to rural and urban areas in search of a better life or to stay with relatives.
However, the 600 families remaining are desperate and have no resources or ability to help themselves.
Nimo Muse Omar, 45, one of the remaining residents, told Radio Ergo that she had nowhere else to go despite the worsening food shortage. She described her desperate situation, having gone three months without being able to cook a proper meal for her 12 children. Often, she sends them to neighbours’ homes hoping they will find food.
“Sometimes we get help, but other times we go without. We have no access to food or water. The situation is dire,” she said.
Nimo was not the recipients of the previous aid given by World Vision. She used to support her family by doing odd jobs such as collecting and selling firewood and grass, earning between $5 and $10 per day.
However, she can no longer work due to an unknown illness that has left her unable to walk. She cannot afford medical care and has been left bedridden. Her eldest son, aged 17, doesn’t have work to support the family and her husband abandoned them years ago.
She broke down in tears as she spoke to Radio Ergo’s local reporter, recalling the rejection she faced from her in-laws and extended family when she sought help in raising her children alone for the past six years.
“I am helpless. If I could see a doctor, at least I would know what is wrong with me, but I can’t afford it,” she said.
Nimo used to live in Ainabo in Sarar region of Somaliland, where her herd of 100 goats died in the drought, forcing her to move to the camp in Burao in 2019.
Residents of Kur-libah camp reported to Radio Ergo that one elderly woman had died from starvation after going three days without food.
Additionally, in November and December two pregnant women died in childbirth due to the lack of healthcare services available. Their families could not afford to take them to Burao for medical care.
Amina Adan Abdulahi shared her pain at losing her 26-year-old daughter, Asha Ali, one of the two who died in childbirth. She left behind two young children, the eldest just three years old.
“She had a son and a daughter. After she passed away, we took the children to their aunt, who said she could care for them better than we could,” Amina said.
Amina explained that her daughter’s health had declined throughout her pregnancy due to malnutrition. Without money for medical care, she endured a difficult 12-hour labour at home and died from excessive bleeding.
“She went into labour at night and died the following morning. There was no medical help, no way to stop the bleeding, and we could not afford to take her to a hospital. There are no healthcare facilities or pharmacies here. She died from hemorrhage and malnutrition,” Amina stated.
Asha’s husband, she added, had abandoned the family and has not been in contact with his two small children, despite living in Burao.
Amina’s family lost their herd of 80 goats to drought in War-ibran district in Togdher region. They came to live in the camp in 2018 and had been depending on the $75 per month cash aid from World Vision, which has now stopped. They sometimes receive help from their neighbours, who survive on meagre daily wages from whatever small income earning activities they can get.
Kur-Libah camp has no water well, forcing residents to buy water at $2 per barrel from commercial truck deliveries.
Kaltun Noor Jama, who has lived in the camp for seven years, said her family could no longer afford water. Neighbours sometimes share small amounts with them for drinking and cooking, but they have faced food shortages for three months.
She explained that the last $75 prepaid card she received from World Vision was in October. Since then, she has been asking relatives living in the city to spare her something.
“When they collect their monthly supplies, they send us small supplies by tuk-tuk. Sometimes we had nothing though, and my children would go to bed hungry. Water [for sale] is delivered by truck every Friday,” she said.
Kaltun, 40, said poverty meant that her six children have grown up without education since their father abandoned them. She moved to Kur-libah after losing 200 goats and 20 camels to drought. Since then, she has struggled to find stability.
“I am constantly worried about our future. I searched for a cleaning job in Burao multiple times but never found one,” she said.
Four months ago, Kur-libah was home to about 2,000 families. The 600 remaining families are those who have no alternatives and are clearly desperate for aid or support.
(ERGO)