Hundreds of families living in small villages in southern Somalia’s Lower Juba region have been cut off by flooding that has left them short of food and unable to pursue their livelihoods.

Abdirahman Omar Dayow and his family of 13 people took their 70 goats out of Hayo village to seek safety from floods on higher ground in October.

But continual heavy rains meant that they became stranded in this area seven kilometres from home to which they fled.They have been eating one meal in 24 hours as their food in store was fast being depleted.

“There is water flowing near us although we are camping now on higher ground – there’s water around us. We are like people on tree-tops who can’t get down,” he said.

His family carried 15 kilograms of rice, flour and sugar with them thinking it would last them until they could return to their house in the village. Floodwater prevented them from moving back to the outskirts of Hayo village, as he feared for the lives of his children and livestock if they tried to cross the water.

He is getting worried about his remaining goats that have not been getting enough fodder.

“I have a few goats that are getting rained on and we don’t milk them, they are very thin and they need their milk. The road networks have been closed, the people can’t move around let alone the animals,” he said.

Prior to this year’s flooding, Abdirahman had already lost 130 of his former herd of 200 goats to the long years of drought.

The villages of Hayo, Taabto, and Qooqani have all been affected by the flooding that has hampered the communities’ access to markets in the main town of Afmadow, about 10 kilometres away. Food prices in the area have been escalating due to shortage and the difficulty of getting supplies from Afmadow or Kismayo.

Some of the people had called Radio Ergo’s feedback line to report their plight and they were called back by Radio Ergo’s local reporter.

Abdirahman says all he can do is hope that the Jubaland state or federal government will be able to help them.

Another pastoralist, Mohamed Rage Mohamud and his 14 children are camped with 20 other families on a different hill in Hayo.

With their food running out, they cannot cook every day, although they are lucky to be getting milk from their 30 cows, which are still relatively healthy compared to their 50 goats.

He and other pastoralists on the hill considered using donkey carts to escape from their camp but the water was too deep for the donkeys. A few people who can swim occasionally across the water to bring food supplies on their backs.

“The donkey can’t reach our homes which are about seven kilometres away. The rainfall that started last evening has stopped this evening. We don’t know how our situation will end up. But it’s very hard. We are stressed but we believe in God,” he said.

His family makes a living from livestock sales. He lost 15 goats and two cows washed away by floods in November. Currently he is cut off from the market so cannot sell any animals.

He once owned 200 cows and 300 goats although most of them died during the prolonged drought. He said he hopes he will one day recover from the never ending climate crisis ordeals.

According to Mohamed, he received alerts about heavy rainfall that was predicted and therefore moved from Hayo to the hillside.

The deputy commissioner of Afmadow, Wollow Ahmed Ali, told Radio Ergo the only viable way to reach the people stranded would be by helicopter. He said they desperately needed food aid.

“If the rains continue I believe they could face a desperate humanitarian situation. It doesn’t seem the rainfall will stop. We have reports that the people in Hayo have had heavy rainfall and the water is rising. It is hard to cross the water. Cars and carts can’t navigate the floods, so only God knows how their situation will turn out,” he said.

By Jonathan Saul
Tuesday December 19, 2023

A commercial vessel hijacked by unknown assailants remains off the coast of Somalia raising fears of further instability for global shipping as attacks escalate in the Red Sea, maritime security sources said on Monday.

A Spanish navy ship was dispatched at full speed on Friday towards the Maltese-flagged Ruen vessel, which sources said had been hijacked.

British maritime security company Ambrey said the vessel had reached nine miles offshore from Bander Murcaayo in Puntland, Somalia on Dec. 17.

“This was assessed likely to be the first hijacking of a merchant vessel by Somali pirates since the ARIS 13 in 2017. Ambrey assessed the event was likely partly a consequence of political instability in Puntland,” Ambrey said.

“There is assessed to be a possible criminal and opportunist risk.”

The European Union’s naval force EUNAVFOR told Reuters on Monday that the incident was still ongoing and it was in “close collaboration with the Somali local authorities”, adding that it was “coordinating efforts for a comprehensive follow-up and sharing of information”.

The Ruen last reported its position off the coast of Somalia on Monday at 1810 GMT, according to data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic.

The vessel’s Bulgaria-based manager Navigation Maritime Bulgare did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There are industry fears that there could be a spillover in attacks by other groups amid growing attacks by Iran-backed Houthis from Yemen on commercial shipping in the Red Sea in support of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in their war against Israel in Gaza, shipping sources said.

“When there is instability in Puntland, obviously that gives more room for potential pirates or gangs to operate. And Puntland now has seen a period of instability because of an election dispute,” said Nicolas Delaunay, east and southern Africa project director with the independent International Crisis Group.

“Additionally, the Puntland Maritime Police Force, which was initially trained as an anti-piracy unit, over the years became more of a generic security provider less focused on piracy.”

Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Additional reporting by Duncan Miriri in Nairobi; Editing by Andrea Ricci