Somalia: searching for survival
15-08-2011 Photo gallery
The severe drought has compounded the longstanding humanitarian crisis in Somalia due to 20 years of armed conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced within Somalia in search of shelter and food. The majority live out in the open or in makeshift camps. This small collection of photos illustrates the extreme nature of the crisis and what the ICRC is doing to help the beleaguered population.
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Thousands of people have moved to Mogadishu in recent weeks hoping to find water and food. Only a minority manage to get a ride on one of the trucks going to the Somali capital. Many have to walk in the extreme heat of up to 40C. It can take them up to one week to reach their destination.
The severe drought, the effects of previous dry spells, high inflation and the worldwide rise in food and fuel prices have further aggravated the situation since the beginning of the year.
Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced within Somalia in search of shelter and food. Like here on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the majority live in the open or in makeshift camps. Many have been displaced more than once. They fled their homes due to fighting, returned and had to flee again when the next wave of violence set in or droughts and floods forced them to move. The displaced represent a heavy burden for the host communities that share their scarce resources with them such as water, pastures and firewood.