Drought in Somaliland

A woman stands over her dead/dying livestock in one of the impacted regions in Somaliland, as drought conditions disrupt the livelihoods of thousands of families. Photo: AlJazeera

Some of you may or may not be aware that the Republic of Somaliland is currently facing one of the worst droughts it has ever seen. Somaliland affirmed its independence from Somalia in 1991, but it has yet to be internationally accepted. The nation made a drought announcement this week and has pleaded for crucial humanitarian relief support as the situation has gone from bad to worse. This is a topic that is very close to my heart as this is my mother’s country of birth, and a place where many of my family member’s live. I was here only a few summers ago so it really has hit home. Although it is only now coming to attention, this drought has actually been ongoing for the past 2-3 years. Rainfall has been beneath premature in many of the provinces within the country as a consequence of the ENSO occurrence. It should be remembered that Somaliland is not the only country in East Africa that is impacted as ENSO is having a devastating impact on all countries within the region. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of mid-2016, near to 24 million individuals are fronting serious and critical food uncertainty levels, a figure which is more than double that of the previous year.

As things stand now, as result of the drought in Somaliland more than a million individuals need urgent support and hundreds of thousands more are in jeopardy and close to suffering from severe resources scarcities. As a result of three straight years of below par precipitation, this drought is one of the most destructive in the history of the country. This has therefore led to many long term impacts that are amplifying the issue at hand. One of the impacts is the decline of livestock. It is believed that a high number of individuals living in areas that have been worst hit such as Sanaag and Bari have lost most or all of their livestock, while those who have any surviving stock – their circumstance is inadequate. As a result of this, income received from livestock has significantly reduced and families who earned a living through this are struggling. Thus it has been said that many of them have now started to look at alternative ways of making a living, some of which is causing a previously delicate location additional complications. The decline in livestock is having a great impact on the nation’s food security. Food shortages are widespread as a result of a decline in local food production and rising prices, leading to a high number of malnutrition and mortality. Oxfam, who are working to provide support to the affected communities, state that the drought has placed many people into extreme hardship, emphasising the grave impacts the nation is facing as a result of climate change.

These drought periods lead to further impacts, as clashes and strain between tribes arise due to stiff rivalry for resources. The clashes are not simply instigated by an absence of rainwater, but similarly due to theft of livestock. Cattle stealing and battle over cropping farms and water resources are thought to be the chief reasons of tribe tension (Aberra et al 2015). This emphasises the grave cultural, environmental and economic impacts climate change has on a developing country such as Somaliland.

So what exactly is the science behind this drought (in other words, what caused it)?

Abundant uplands, and dehydrated lowlands are the two climatic regions that make up the Horn of Africa. It is these dehydrated lowlands in the Somali region that receive on average less than 50mm of rain per year, thus explaining why it has faced numerous droughts over the years. It is because of this, that the region is known as arid or semi-arid (Briggs et al 2012). However, it is not only the country’s location that makes it prone to droughts. Inter-annual climate erraticism within East Africa is a result of the ENSO phenomenon (Hulme et al 2005, Obasi 2005). ENSO is the heating and cooling of sea surface along the Pacific and the atmospheric fluctuations that come with it. It is these vicissitudes to the ocean and atmosphere that lead to punishing climate forms, and during La Nina stages of ENSO, drought situations are robust in East African countries such as Somaliland (Cochrane 2010).