Droughts, famines and displacement
Famines and droughts in Somalia: a timeline and the Somali names for them
Somalis give names to severe droughts. Xarama-cune (1913–14, "eating the forbidden") and Dabadheer (1973–75, "long-tailed") are the best known; the Red Cross also records Mahanaw (1980s), Mahadiid (1990s) and Sima (from 2011, "equal"). Famine was declared in 2011 and killed about 258,000 people. The 1991–92 famine killed about 212,000 to 248,000. Famine was projected but not declared in 2017 and 2022.
Names for droughts
Abaar means drought in Somali, and severe droughts are given names (ICRC, 26 September 2019). 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).
| Name | Years | Meaning or note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xarama-cune | 1913–14 | "eating the forbidden"; famine in herding areas | Muna Ismail, Yeheb, 11 April 2017 |
| 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, 2017). The famine of 1991–92 is remembered in the south as Caga Barar, "swollen feet" (see the 1991 to 1993 famine).
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 |
| 1975 | About 100,000 herders resettled to farming and fishing settlements | Dabadheer | |
| 1991–1993 | Famine in the south during the civil war | about 212,000 to 248,000 | 1991–93 famine |
| 2010–2012 | Famine declared 20 July 2011 in parts of the south; ended 3 February 2012 | about 258,000 | 2010–12 famine |
| 2016–2018 | Drought; national disaster declared 28 February 2017; famine not declared | about 45,000 excess deaths | 2016–18 drought |
| 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 |
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
- Rain, drought and floods in Somalia
- Internal displacement
Sources
- ICRC (2019). Somalia: A drought so severe it has names, 26 September 2019.
- Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (2022). Somalia is calling: averting drought from becoming a famine, 3 November 2022.
- Ismail, M. (2017). Drought in Somalia: context, vulnerability, and solutions. Yeheb, 11 April 2017.
- The linked pages for each event, which cite FSNAU, FEWS NET, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UNICEF, WHO and UK Hansard.
Sources
- ICRC, 26 September 2019 · icrc.org
- HIPS, 3 November 2022, via ReliefWeb · reliefweb.int
- Muna Ismail, Yeheb, 11 April 2017 · yeheb.org
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Where this matters
- Burco (Burao) and TogdheerTogdheer is the northern region around Burco (Burao), with about 894,874 people including Buuhoodle.
- Laascaanood (Las Anod) and SoolSool is a region in the north with Las Anod (Laascaanood) as its capital and about 571,000 people.
- Ceerigaabo (Erigavo) and SanaagSanaag is a region on the northern coast with Erigavo (Ceerigaabo) as its capital and about 446,000 people.
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- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
- Marka (Merca) and Lower ShabelleLower Shabelle is Somalia's biggest farming region, along the Shabelle river south-west of Mogadishu, with Marka (Merca) as its capital and about 835,000 to…
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Xuddur (Hudur) and BakoolBakool is a region in South West State, on the border with Ethiopia, with Xudur (Hudur) as its capital.
- Garbahaarrey (Garbaharey) and GedoGedo is the south-western region on the borders with Kenya and Ethiopia, with Garbahaarrey as its capital and about 1 million people.
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Keep reading
- Disasters in Somalia: a list from 1974 to 2026A list of every recorded disaster in Somalia from the 1974 drought to the 2026 dengue outbreak, year by year, with deaths and people affected and a link to the full page or UN record.
- Rain, drought and floods in Somalia: the Gu and Deyr seasons and the great droughtsSomalia's rainy seasons (Gu and Deyr), the great droughts from 1974 to today, the death tolls, the 2023 floods, and what changed after the 2011 famine.
- The Somalia famine of 2010 to 2012: what happened and how many diedThe 2010 to 2012 famine in southern Somalia: the drought, the famine declarations region by region, the blocked aid, the death toll by region, the refugees and how it ended.
- The Somalia famine of 1991 to 1993 (Caga Barar): causes, deaths and reliefThe 1991 to 1993 famine in southern Somalia: how war and drought caused it, Baidoa and the camps, the death toll, the Red Cross and UN response, and how it ended.
- The Somalia drought of 2016 to 2018: famine warned, famine avertedThe 2016 to 2018 drought in Somalia: the poor rains, the national disaster, cholera and displacement, the cash response, the death toll and why famine was not declared.
- The Somalia drought of 2020 to 2023: five poor rainy seasons and a famine projectionThe 2020 to 2023 drought in Somalia: five poor rainy seasons, the 2022 famine projection for Bay region, 8.3 million people in crisis, and the 71,100 estimated deaths.