Islamic Relief alerts: Escalating conflicts threaten Somalia’s key agricultural region, worsening food scarcity.
In Somalia’s Bay Territory, Hunger Sparks New Disputes
A Somali woman traverses the parched and barren lands of Bay, where ongoing strife alongside climatic shifts have crippled farming activities, leaving communities with little choice but to lean on humanitarian relief. (Credit: Islamic Relief/SIDA)
Mogadishu (AX) — According to a detailed examination by Islamic Relief Somalia, the scarcity of food is exacerbating unrest in the Bay region. Various calamities, including prolonged dry spells, deluges, alongside relentless turmoil, are degrading living conditions, fostering migration, and perpetuating cycles of hunger and disorder. This report sheds light on how scuffles over dwindling food supplies are escalating community tensions, triggering more conflicts, and prompting further migration.
The exploration, coined Community Perceptions of Food Insecurity as a Driver of Conflict, zeroes in on Baidoa, Berdale, and Dinsoor districts. These places, formerly famous as Somalia’s “breadbasket,” have witnessed the plummet of agriculture due to a cocktail of insecurity, climate alterations, and harassment by armed factions. This turbulence forces cultivators to forsake their fields, worsening food deficits and pushing many into cramped quarters for internally displaced individuals.
“Whenever food scarcity takes the wheel, it propels displacement, which only compounds the frail state of the region,” remarked an individual from Baidoa. “The swell of IDPs amps up the competition for finite resources, mounting pressure on resident communities.”
Additionally, the report underscores the significant role of climate change in amplifying the food dilemma. The unpredictability of rain, alongside dry spells and inundations, has drastically cut down agricultural yield, driving up costs and creating shortages. As inhabitants vacate conflict-impacted territories, city areas balloon with throngs of displaced, further burdening food provisions.
Somalia faces enduring woes, an entwinement of fight and nibbles. Militant groups, including Al-Shabaab, hinder market interactions and foist illicit levies on growers and merchants, trimming food accessibility. The United Nations flags that over six million Somali people are grappling with dire food scarcities, with several zones inching toward famine’s clutches.
Islamic Relief’s study highlights that the food crisis takes a disproportionate toll on women. Sixty percent of the workshop attendees were women, many sharing stories of food scarcity impacting their families directly. “The influx of displaced people from skirmish-riddled zones like Bakool overtaxes local resources, challenging aid groups to address the growing demands,” stated Amina from Baidoa.
Key insights from the research spotlight that agriculture, market transactions, and displacement are all intricately woven into the food crisis fabric. Disruptions in cultivation and both concealed and overt taxation by armed parties hinder food production, while market access difficulties make it a tough gig to reach even the scarce provisions available.
The analysis appeals for swift actions to tackle the core issues underpinning food insecurity in the Bay region. Islamic Relief Somalia urges international sponsors, Somali administration, and humanitarian bodies to augment funding for food security initiatives like cash disbursements and back conflict resolution strategies eyeing the foundational catalysts of food deprivation.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
