Fadumo Haji Hasan, a mother of nine without a partner, frantically packed her children into a vehicle evacuating them from their home in Galad village when it transformed into an active war zone in central Somalia.
Her 18 goats, the sole survivors of drought in this Galmudug area, couldn’t be transported in the truck or manage the 80-kilometer journey to El-dher town. She left them behind in September, escaping with only her children and minimal possessions.
Fadumo and her children have joined numerous families fleeing clashes between government troops and Al-Shabab, constructing makeshift shelters from sticks and fabric on exposed, windy terrain outside El-dher.
Two of her children cannot walk due to a neurological condition identified 18 months prior. Fadumo reported their condition deteriorated from hardship and malnutrition, leaving them bedridden without medical care or assistance.
“Being a single mother without a husband or grown son to help is unimaginable,” Fadumo shared in a tearful phone conversation. “I possess nothing, and my children’s survival depends on divine provision through fellow Muslims. My offspring are ill, and we endure extreme suffering.”
At least 480 families have relocated to El-dher from Galad, Qodhiley, El-Haji, and Cows-weyne villages as fighting intensified in the region.
Yet the focus on military operations, including American airstrikes against Al-Shabab backing government forces, has masked the plight of civilians who remain powerless, nearly invisible victims of the conflict.
“Only God comprehends our circumstances,” Fadumo stated. “Those slightly better off occasionally provide us with a meal. When food is available, we eat; when not, we remain hungry. We’re trapped in a war zone with no access to basic necessities.”
Daily, she walks four kilometers with her 10-year-old daughter to fetch water from a well. The exhausting journey under the sun depletes their energy, yet she cannot afford the $0.20 fee per jerrycan charged by commercial water suppliers.
As a newcomer unfamiliar to the local community, she cannot obtain credit from nearby shops and businesses.
Fadumo’s three school-aged children studied Koranic lessons in Galad for $6 monthly for all three. She cannot pay for education in El-dher. Local merchants in her village are demanding repayment of $500 in debt, causing her further distress.
Saredo Muhudin Ahmed is also staying in the desolate area near El-dher. Her family of eight walked for two days and nights to reach the settlement, covering approximately 40 kilometers from El-Haji village.
The 10 goats they brought no longer yield milk as they grew thin and weak from the journey. Drought conditions in the district had already caused them to lose 90 goats.
“Our shelter consists merely of branches and fabric we’ve assembled. Rainwater enters when it rains, and strong winds cause it to collapse. At night, we huddle together for warmth. We inhabit exposed land with harsh winds and cold temperatures,” Saredo explained.
Her husband occasionally earns a few dollars unloading vehicles in El-dher, though the work is inconsistent and physically taxing for an older man. Saredo walks to El-dher daily seeking cleaning employment but has found none.
Her children frequently suffer from fever and coughing, but the settlement lacks a health facility, and transporting them to town for medical care would be expensive.
“We lack funds even for painkiller injections,” Saredo lamented hopelessly.
Three of her children attended Koranic school in El-Haji for $5 monthly total. Schools in El-dher charge that amount per child, a financial impossibility for her.
Daud Abdullahi, El-dher’s deputy commissioner for security and politics, reported registering 480 displaced families arriving in the settlement since September.
They confront critical resource deficiencies, with needs exceeding what the local community can provide, especially after drought devastated people’s livelihoods.
“Shelter and healthcare represent the greatest challenges. This is open terrain without trees for shade. In emergencies, there is nowhere to seek assistance. Beyond minor contributions from locals, we cannot provide help due to financial constraints. Insufficient rainfall has destroyed farms and livestock that communities depended on,” he stated.
