# Famines and droughts in Somalia: a timeline and the Somali names for them

> A timeline of droughts and famines in Somalia from 1913 to 2023, with the Somali names given to each, deaths where estimated, and links to the full pages.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/famines-and-droughts-timeline/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Names for droughts

*Abaar* means drought in Somali, and severe droughts are given names ([ICRC, 26 September 2019](https://www.icrc.org/en/document/somalia-conflict-drought-so-severe-it-has-names)). The Heritage Institute (HIPS) says the names "are usually related to their duration and/or intensity and ensuing impacts", and gives *Gaatamo* (a flash drought), *Gaag-ma-reebto* ("wiped out nearly all living organisms") and *Dabadheer* ("long tailed because it lasted longer than previously known droughts") ([HIPS, 3 November 2022, via ReliefWeb](https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-calling-averting-drought-becoming-famine)).

| Name | Years | Meaning or note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xarama-cune | 1913–14 | "eating the forbidden"; famine in herding areas | [Muna Ismail, Yeheb, 11 April 2017](https://www.yeheb.org/drought-context-vulnerability-solutions-muna-ismail/) |
| Dabadheer | 1973–75 | "long tailed" | HIPS 2022 |
| Mahanaw | 1980s | "mostly affected rural villages" | ICRC 2019 |
| Mahadiid | 1990s | "made worse by the civil war" | ICRC 2019 |
| Sima | from 2011 | "means 'equal'... because the drought is hammering everyone equally hard" | ICRC 2019 |

Muna Ismail calls Xarama-cune "one of the worst droughts in the last century" ([Yeheb](/en/nature/legumes-of-somalia/), 2017). The famine of 1991–92 is remembered in the south as *Caga Barar*, "swollen feet" (see [the 1991 to 1993 famine](/en/society/famine-1991-1993/)).

## Timeline

| Years | Event | Deaths (estimates) | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913–1914 | Xarama-cune drought and famine | not known | above |
| 1973–1975 | Dabadheer drought; state of emergency November 1974; about 250,000 people in some 20 relief camps | about 18,000 | [Dabadheer](/en/society/drought-1973-1975-dabadheer/) |
| 1975 | About 100,000 herders resettled to farming and fishing settlements | | [Dabadheer](/en/society/drought-1973-1975-dabadheer/) |
| 1991–1993 | Famine in the south during the civil war | about 212,000 to 248,000 | [1991–93 famine](/en/society/famine-1991-1993/) |
| 2010–2012 | Famine declared 20 July 2011 in parts of the south; ended 3 February 2012 | about 258,000 | [2010–12 famine](/en/society/famine-2010-2012/) |
| 2016–2018 | Drought; national disaster declared 28 February 2017; famine not declared | about 45,000 excess deaths | [2016–18 drought](/en/society/drought-2016-2018/) |
| 2020–2023 | Five poor rainy seasons in a row; famine projected for Baidoa and Burhakaba in September 2022, not declared | about 71,100 excess deaths, Jan 2022 to Jun 2024 | [2020–23 drought](/en/society/drought-2020-2023/) |

The figures are those given, with sources, on each linked page. The death estimates come from different methods and are not directly comparable.

## Related pages

- [Disasters in Somalia: a list from 1974 to 2026](/en/society/disasters-in-somalia-list/)
- [Rain, drought and floods in Somalia](/en/society/rain-drought-and-floods/)
- [Internal displacement](/en/society/internal-displacement/)

## Sources

- ICRC (2019). [Somalia: A drought so severe it has names](https://www.icrc.org/en/document/somalia-conflict-drought-so-severe-it-has-names), 26 September 2019.
- Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (2022). [Somalia is calling: averting drought from becoming a famine](https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-calling-averting-drought-becoming-famine), 3 November 2022.
- Ismail, M. (2017). [Drought in Somalia: context, vulnerability, and solutions](https://www.yeheb.org/drought-context-vulnerability-solutions-muna-ismail/). Yeheb, 11 April 2017.
- The linked pages for each event, which cite [FSNAU](/en/institutions/fao-somalia/), FEWS NET, the [London](/en/diaspora/london/) School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UNICEF, WHO and UK Hansard.

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