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Somalia: A Pastoral People on the Edge

“If the children survive this drought and do not die from thirst, even then, there will be no reason to return to the pastoralist life we once knew,” Maymun Ali, a mother of two, notes on the current drought situation across the country.

For Somalia’s pastoralists, livestock is everything. A way of life passed down through generations. Wealth that has transcended time - a currency and identity rolled into bone and hide, resilient through centuries of conflicts, drought and every hardship you could think of. These animals, especially the camel, have carried families through repeated crises. The camel in particular was considered untouchable, a beast that had defied even the harshest seasons.

Then came the rains that never arrived.

Back-to-back seasons of failed rains. The Gu rains, Somalia’s main wet season that falls between April and June failed. The short rains, Deyr season, that occurs between October and December were also poor. Even the man-made watering holes evaporated into the cracked earth. And then in their thousands, the animals started to die. The camels too. What had seemed impossible, has now become inevitable. 

This is a record of a country under siege from two directions all at once. The grinding attrition of conflict and the compounding catastrophic failures of climate shocks.

Somalia Drought
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed/ICRC

When resources start drying up, herds collapsing and water sources disappearing, neighbours become rivals, and resource-based violence increases. The social fabric of the Somali pastoral communities, woven over millennia, is fraying in ways that may not be easily repaired.

Maymun Ali, a mother of two
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed/ICRC

According to Maymun,19, this is the worst drought she has seen, despite experiencing it at different stages of her life - as a child, then a wife, and now, a mother of two. “…now, children sometimes eat only once every three days.”

A dried up berkad in Dhusamareb, Galmudug state, one of the hardest-hit regions in Somalia.
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed/ICRC

A dried-up Berkad in Dhusamareb, Galmudug state, one of the hardest-hit regions in Somalia. Berkads are traditional rainwater reservoirs that act as a lifeline for rural communities and herders, especially during the dry season.

According to IPC, the poor rains have led to severe water shortages, poor crop and livestock production, thereby reducing food availability. Six and a half million people across the country are at risk of hunger.

Abdulkadir Mohamed Farah, 61, a resident of Ilix village in Galgaduud region of Somalia
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed/ICRC

Abdulkadir Mohamed Farah, 61, a resident of Ilix village in Galgaduud region of Somalia noted the pressure on pastoralist households has become unbearable in the face of prevailing drought conditions. In less than a year, he lost 90% of his goats and more than two thirds of his camels.

“The animals are dying. They have nothing to eat. Take me as an example, I had 500 goats. Only 50 remain. I had 70 camels. 20 are left.”

This well in Ceel-Baraag village in Dhusamareb is among the few remaining water sources in the region
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed/ICRC

People and animals are forced to survive on the diminishing resources. This well in Ceel-Baraag village in Dhusamareb is among the few remaining water sources in the region, placing an unsustainable strain on the limited available resources and increasing the risk of conflict over the little that’s left.

When shrubs turn brittle and grazing disappears, herders are forced to find other ways to keep their animals alive.
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed/ICRC

When shrubs turn brittle and grazing disappears, herders are forced to find other ways to keep their animals alive. Food meant for children is now shared between the family and their livestock. Animals are fed a mixture of maize, wheat, and beans to help them endure the hunger brought on by drought.

For pastoralist communities, the loss of animals does not only mean lost income, it marks the collapse of their entire way of life, often forcing them to leave rural areas in search of assistance.

ICRC Response: November 2025 to Present

  • More than 5,000 families displaced by conflict in Puntland's Bari region received emergency cash assistance
  • Five boreholes rehabilitated in drought-affected areas of Bari and Sanaag regions
  • Water infrastructure support - pumps, generators, and maintenance equipment - was handed over to local water authorities to ensure long-term operation.
  • Children under five with severe malnutrition and medical complications receive life-saving care at the ICRC-run stabilization centre in Kismayo General Hospital, while communities across the country access nutritional services at 11 Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) clinics.