Somalia in the face of famine

With another dry season in Somalia, the country could see famine again.

Internally displaced Somalis carry their belongings as they flee from drought stricken regions before entering makeshift camps in Baidoa, west of Somalia's capital Mogadishu
Internally displaced Somalis carry their belongings as they flee from drought stricken regions before entering makeshift camps in Baidoa, west of Somalia's capital Mogadishu [File: Feisal Omar/Reuters]

Famine is a slow-moving disaster and when it is declared, people are typically already dying of starvation. Much of Somalia is facing its third dry season which is bad news for crops, animals, and people. Famine could arrive as soon as March. The Take talks to Somalis trying to get the word out about what is happening in their country and what they hope will be done to save lives.

In this episode:

  • Aydrus Daar, executive director at WASDA, a Somali aid group working in the horn of Africa
  • Nisar Majid, research associate at the London School of Economics where he was recently research director on the Conflict Research Programme (Somalia portfolio)
  • Guhad Adan, research associate at the London School of Economics who has been a freelance consultant based in Nairobi and has been working as an aid practitioner and researcher in the Horn of Africa for more than 20 years
  • Florence Mangwende, humanitarian and resilience programme manager at Oxfam Novib (@oxfamnovib)

Connect with The Take:

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)

Source: Al Jazeera