Droughts, famines and displacement
Abaartii Dabadheer: the Somali drought of 1973 to 1975
Abaartii Dabadheer, "the long-tailed drought", struck the herding regions of northern and central Somalia in 1973 to 1975. The government declared a state of emergency in November 1974 and brought about 250,000 people into some 20 relief camps. Deaths are put at about 18,000. In 1975 the government moved about 100,000 former herders to new farming and fishing settlements in the south.
In short
Abaartii Dabadheer means "the long-tailed drought", the name given by the people it struck. It affected close to one and a half million herders in Nugaal, Sanaag, Togdheer, Bari, Mudug and Galgaduud. Togdheer was the worst hit. About 2.5 million livestock were lost (Hiiraan Online, October 2014).
Deaths are estimated at about 18,000: 11,000 people who reached the relief camps too weak to survive, and 7,000 outside the camps (Hiiraan Online 2014, citing earlier studies). The government of the time is described on the Siad Barre era, 1969 to 1991.
Timeline
- November 1974. The UN Disaster Relief Office estimated that about 50,000 people needed relief. A British minister told Parliament that drought conditions existed "in the centre of Somalia". The Somali government had declared a state of emergency, set aside about £10 million and asked the Arab League, the European Economic Community (EEC) and the World Food Programme for help (Hansard, 5 December 1974).
- November 1974. A National Drought Relief Committee was formed (Hiiraan Online 2014).
- December 1974. Britain sent two charter flights with about 36 tonnes of wheat flour and milk powder, to be handed out by the Somali Red Crescent (Hansard, 19 December 1974).
- February 1975. Britain sent six Land Rovers and four water trailers for the government's relief organisation to carry water in the relief areas (Hansard, 13 February 1975).
- End of April 1975. A British disaster team visited the drought zones (Hansard, 30 June 1975).
- June to August 1975. Resettlement of camp residents to the south was carried out (Hiiraan Online 2014).
The relief camps
The British team reported in mid-1975 that "some 250,000 people seriously affected by the drought had been brought into well-organised camps to facilitate feeding and medical treatment". It said the government "had established an effective organisational structure for relief measures at central, regional and district levels" (Hansard, 30 June 1975).
Hiiraan Online gives 260,000 people helped in 20 government camps, and over one million helped outside the camps. It records that the armed forces and the national health service took part in the relief work (Hiiraan Online 2014).
Foreign aid
- EEC. The largest donor. Its grain allocation could reach 12,000 tonnes (Hansard, 5 December 1974). Britain's share through the EEC budget was about £0.46 million (Hansard, 30 June 1975).
- United Kingdom. £140,000 in direct aid, including a 50-bed field hospital handed over in June 1975 (Hansard, 30 June 1975).
- UN agencies. WFP, UNICEF, FAO and WHO gave food, medicine and animal vaccines (Hansard, 5 December 1974 and 30 June 1975).
Resettlement
After the camps, the government moved many herders who had lost their animals to new settlements in the south (Hansard, 30 June 1975).
- About 100,000 people were settled in three farming settlements, Dujuma, Sablaale and Kurtunwaarey, and three fishing settlements, Baraawe, Cadale and Ceel (Tsui, Ragsdale and Shirwa, Genus, 1991).
- People were moved by air and by truck (Hiiraan Online 2014).
- A 1982 survey found that 78 to 87% of settled families had lost all their animals in the drought (Tsui, Ragsdale and Shirwa 1991).
- Herders outside the camps were encouraged to go back to herding with the animals they still had (Hiiraan Online 2014).
Related pages
Sources
- UK Parliament, Hansard. Somalia, written answer, 5 December 1974 (vol 882 cc623–4W).
- UK Parliament, Hansard. Somalia, written answer, 19 December 1974 (vol 883 c582W).
- UK Parliament, Hansard. Somalia, written answer, 13 February 1975 (vol 886 cc212–3W).
- UK Parliament, Hansard. Somali Democratic Republic (drought relief), written answer, 30 June 1975 (vol 894 cc284–5W).
- Hiiraan Online (2014). The approaching risk of another famine in Somalia, October 2014.
- Tsui, A. O., Ragsdale, T. A. and Shirwa, A. I. (1991). The settlement of Somali nomads. Genus 47(1–2): 131–152.
Sources
- Hiiraan Online, October 2014 · hiiraan.com
- Hansard, 5 December 1974 · api.parliament.uk
- Hansard, 19 December 1974 · api.parliament.uk
- Hansard, 13 February 1975 · api.parliament.uk
- Hansard, 30 June 1975 · api.parliament.uk
- Tsui, Ragsdale and Shirwa, Genus, 1991 · cpc.unc.edu
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