Skip to main content
Home International Committee of the Red Cross
Find help Donate
Back
  • Happening now
    Happening now

    Discover what’s new

    Stay updated with the latest news and ongoing initiatives of the ICRC.

    Latest operations

    Featured

    • A community kitchen in Myanmar
      Myanmar: One month on, earthquake survivors face continuing challenges
    • Red Cross Field Hospital aerial shot
      The Red Cross Field Hospital one year on: A lifeline and a stark reminder in Ga…
    • Red Cross staff at a water distribution
      Every attack on a humanitarian is an attack on the community they served. A sta…
  • Who we are
    Who we are

    We are the International Committee of the Red Cross

    Neutral, impartial, and independent. Discover our values and mission.

    Discover who we are
    • About us
      Our rich history, our mandate and mission, and our Fundamental Principles are behind the work we do to protect and save lives.
    • How we are run
      Our President and leadership, our finances and our accountability ensure the integrity of our humanitarian operations.
    • International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement
      The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the largest humanitarian network in the world.
  • What we do
    What we do

    Our work to protect people affected by conflict

    The ICRC responds quickly and efficiently to help people affected by armed conflict.

    All our activities

    In focus

    • ICRC working with the Myanmar Red Cross Society to support people displaced by violence in Pin Laung and Hsi Hseng, to provide emergency aid. Photographer: Thang Khan Sian Khai
      Protection: Upholding the rights of people in conflict
    • Reconnecting families: Preventing separation, searching for the missing, reunit…
    • Helping detainees: Protecting and assisting people deprived of their liberty
  • Where we work
    Where we work

    Explore our global reach

    We have offices in over 90 countries around the world, providing assistance and protection to people affected by conflict.

    ICRC around the world

    Key operations

    • Afghanistan
    • Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • Ethiopia
    • Israel and the occupied territories
    • Myanmar
    • Sudan
    • Syria
    • Ukraine
    • Yemen
  • Law & Policy
    Law & Policy

    Law & Policy

    Gain insights into the ICRC's role in developing and promoting international humanitarian law and policy.

    Discover more
    • Geneva Conventions and the law
      Even wars have rules. The Geneva Conventions are at the core of international humanitarian law.
    • Topics, debates and disarmament
      Weapons and disarmament, protected persons and other contemporary challenges for international humanitarian law.
    • Teaching IHL, research, Advisory Service and other resources
      We support the teaching, learning and implementation of humanitarian law principles.
  • Support us
    Support us

    Partner with us

    We invite organizations, institutions and philanthropists to join us in our mission to alleviate the suffering of those affected by armed conflict.

    How to partner with us

    Support us

    Find out how you as an individual can contribute to our humanitarian efforts to help people suffering because of armed conflict.

    How to support us
    • Ukraine: the crisis continues
    • Urgent: Israel-Gaza emergency appeal
    • Myanmar_Red Cross earthquake
      Urgent help needed: Myanmar earthquakes
  • Find help
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Contact us
  • Report an incident of misconduct
  • Work with us
  • FAQ
ICRC Websites
Photo gallery
16-12-2021

Somalia: caught between the drought and the fighting people in Guriel have nowhere to run

  • Somalia
  • Health

Share

  • Share on X
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook
Alyona Synenko /ICRC

Gelle Mohamud is a technician serving one of the boreholes in Guriel. The borehole provided water to thousands of people in the area until its two generators were damaged by the fighting.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

With the worsening drought, people living in the settlements don’t have enough water. ICRC water trucking is a temporary solution to respond to the emergency.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

Some displaced people have been living here for years, after they fled droughts in their regions of origin. Others have arrived recently, fleeing fighting in Guriel.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

Signs of destruction are still visible around Guriel and small businesses remain closed.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

Kulmiye hospital was a referral hospital, that offered outpatient, inpatient, maternity and immunization services to people from surrounding villages within the range of over 100 km.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

Scars left by the fighting remain in Guriel, but it is the drought that weighs heavily on people’s minds.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

Thousands of people live in improvised settlements on the outskirts of Guriel, they lack access to essential services, like food, water and healthcare.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

“When we were in the emergency handling wounded patients, that's when the disaster happened and the entire hospital got burnt,” says Dr. Ali Tarabi, the chairman of Kulmiye Community hospital.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

More than 80 percent of Somalia is estimated to be experiencing severe drought conditions.

Alyona Synenko /ICRC

“When we were in the emergency handling wounded patients, that's when the disaster happened and the entire hospital got burnt,” says Dr. Ali Tarabi, the chairman of Kulmiye Community hospital.

"You can run away from fighting, but you can't escape from the drought. We have missed three rounds of rain already. There is not enough food, not enough water," says Deeko Adan Warsame, chair of the women's council of Guriel, a small energetic woman, wearing a red-striped hijab.

More than 300,000 people have been affected by the worsening drought in Somalia's Galgaduud region. Last month the Federal Government declared a state of emergency, as thousands leave their homes in search of food, water and pasture. In addition to the worsening drought, Guriel, a town of some 100,000 inhabitants in central Galgaduud, has seen an intensification of conflict. At the end of October, heavy fighting broke out between Somali National Army and Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama'a group, killing dozens and forcing some 100,000 people to flee to the neighboring villages.

Intense shelling damaged several buildings in Guriel, including its main hospital. The Kulmiye Community hospital, the second largest in town, was destroyed in a fire. Kulmiye hospital was a referral hospital that offered outpatient, inpatient, maternity and immunization services to people from surrounding villages within the range of over 100 km.

"This morning, a number of people arrived at the hospital thinking it still exists. They had not heard the news," said Dr. Ali Omar Tarabi - Chairman, Kulmiye Hospital Board. The pressure on the remaining health facilities has considerably increased.

Hundreds of thousands of people are staying in makeshift settlements on the outskirts of Guriel town. Some of them were displaced by the recent fighting, while others came to the area seeking pasture, as drought became more severe. All the displaced people live in extremely difficult conditions, lacking access to the essential services, like food, water and healthcare. "To respond to these needs, we provided water trucking to displaced people in 17 villages", said Mohamed Sheikh Ahmed, Head of ICRC office in Galmudug. "Together with the Somali Red Crescent Society, we deployed a mobile health team that is providing essential health care services to six villages".

Life is slowly returning to Guriel, but many small businesses remain closed and it will take time and effort to repair the damage, especially while the region is grappling with the consequences of the drought.

Related articles

Des équipes chirurgicales débordées
Photo gallery
17-03-2025

DRC: Goma surgical teams overwhelmed

The ICRC works with the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) to deliver assistance to remote areas.
Photo gallery
15-01-2025

Myanmar: The year 2024 in pictures

The ICRC team pitcured with community of Gulbahar, Kapisa
Photo gallery
31-12-2024

Afghanistan: A year of responding to numerous humanitarian challenges

More photo galleries

Topic-dedicated ICRC websites

Explore our blogs, apps, reviews and other resources dedicated to humanitarian impact, insight, law and policy.

ICRC Websites

Direct access

  • Find help
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Contact us
  • Report an incident of misconduct
  • Work with us
  • FAQ

Newsletter

Fields marked with * are required
To learn how we process your data, visit our Privacy Notice.
  • Accessibility
  • Copyright
  • Privacy policy
  • Tax deduction
  • Privacy Settings
  • Community guidelines

Terms and conditions - ICRC ©2025 - All right reserved