Severe drought yet again hit nine zones Ethiopia’s Somali Region and threatens a massive humanitarian crisis.
Speaking to local media on Monday, the region communication bureau head Ferehan Jibril said although many areas in the region are affected by the prolonged drought, the Dawa zone has been affected the most. Dawa zone borders and shares Moyale as an administrative center with the Borana zone of the Oromia regional state, another area affected badly by drought and is mostly inhabited by pastoral and agro-pastoral communities.
This prolonged drought could be attributed to a below-average rainfall during this year’s rainy season, which in turn damaged grazing lands and caused a shortage of water. People in the region lack access to safe drinking water, and are unable to meet their basic needs due to loss of livestock which remain a main source of income to many in the zone and region as a whole.
2.5 million People are badly affected by the drought which has killed more than 160,000 livestock since November last year.
The regional administration has been working, as disclosed by the regional president Mustafa Omar, on reducing the human impact in the region.
Mobilized local support to reverse possible disastrous consequences has been underway.
MG/abj/APA