Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somali authorities and the international community have repeatedly failed to protect thousands of people from drought-hit communities in southern Somalia, according to a new report by Amnesty International.
The human rights group says this failure left people exposed to serious violations of their rights to food, water, health, and even life itself.
The report, ‘No rain, no food, no animals,’ documents how drought, conflict, and marginalization forced thousands to move to displacement camps between 2020 and 2023. They first moved to camps in Somalia and then to Kenya.
“Somalia is on the frontline of human-induced climate change,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
“As the seventh most climate-vulnerable country in the world, Somalia’s authorities… must urgently address the marginalization of communities… acutely impacted by global warming.”
The report urges high-income countries, which are primarily responsible for climate change, to support Somalia’s adaptation efforts.
The findings are based on interviews with 177 people displaced to Kenya’s Dadaab Refugee Camp. Researchers also spoke with humanitarian workers, government officials, and climate experts.
‘Everything dried up’
Somalia has faced decades of conflict, political instability, and recurring environmental shocks. The country has one of the world’s largest populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
According to the UN, a combination of conflict, drought, and floods displaces millions. This places immense strain on limited national resources and humanitarian aid.
Climate change has worsened the persistent drought in southern Somalia. The government declared it a national disaster in November 2021.
As water sources dried up, people had to drink contaminated water. As a result, this led to the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera.
The drought also caused food prices to rise by as much as 160% above pre-2020 levels. This, combined with depleted food stores and dry farmlands, led to severe malnutrition.
Fadumo*, a 53-year-old mother of eight, told Amnesty she abandoned her farm after years of poor rainfall. The only available water was from a well, a 24-hour walk away. She moved to a camp in Mogadishu but was unable to find work and was eventually forced to relocate to Dadaab.
Despite the growing crisis, the Somali government did not increase its health budget. The budget remains less than 5% of government spending. This is far below the 15% commitment outlined in the Abuja Declaration, to which Somalia is a signatory.
“Limited resources and the ongoing conflict are not an excuse to neglect international obligations,” said Chagutah.
“Having declared the drought a national disaster, authorities should have ensured there were enough resources to protect drought-affected people, including by seeking extra international assistance.”
Families separated
Amnesty found that the authorities also failed to prevent families from being separated during the displacement. Families abandoned many children, older people, and people with medical conditions.
Bile*, a 33-year-old farmer and father of eight from Jilib, explained how his parents died. The drought forced him to move to Dadaab in 2023.
“When the drought came, everything dried up. I had eight children, a wife, and my parents, who were old and relied on me…. We quickly finished the food that we had stored….Since I was their only provider, my parents succumbed to the famine after I left them in Jilib,” said Bile*, a Somali farmer.
The lack of early warning systems also meant that sudden floods destroyed grains that families had stored underground. This made the food insecurity even worse during the drought.
Many displaced people reported they had to relocate more than once. They first moved to IDP camps inside Somalia. However, many of these camps were also in areas vulnerable to climate shocks. Consequently, drought or floods displaced them again.
The long journey to Kenya
As the number of IDPs in southern Somalia grew, humanitarian groups did not have enough resources to meet their needs. This forced many, like Fadumo* and Bile*, to begin the long journey to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.
The journey to Dadaab, located on the Somalia-Kenya border, is long and complex. It can take anywhere from two days to six weeks, depending on the mode of transport.
Families told Amnesty they had to sell household items, livestock, or land to pay the high transport fares.
Abdullahi, who traveled from Saakow, said aid was almost non-existent along the routes.
“When we got to Dhobley, well-wishers picked 15 women and children and gave them a lift… to Dadaab,” he said.
“The men were left behind to walk… We carried sorghum and water for the children. However, they were extremely malnourished on arrival because what we had only lasted a few days.”
Amnesty states this is a failure of Somalia’s obligations under its constitution and international law. This includes the Kampala Convention, which mandates protection for those displaced by climate change.
“The Somali authorities must urgently come up with climate change resilience policies that also address the resulting loss and damage,” Chagutah said.
(*Names have been changed to protect identities.)
