Failed rains, prolong drought pushes Somali communities to the brink

A girl stands next to a dead goat near a pastoral village in Habasweyne (which means "huge dust") on the outskirts of Hargeisa, Somaliland, on 26 March. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The rains have failed Hawa Ali, a pastoralist from Ethiopia, over and over again for three years straight. Before all her animals succumbed to thirst, hunger and disease, she made the decision to join other families in her village and trek to neighboring Somaliland.

Putting the children on donkeys, Hawa and her villagers - all of them ethnic Somalis - walked for 30 days to reach Lughaya, a coastal town in Awdal region, Somaliland. Along the way, more animals died, and eventually there were no more donkeys left to carry the children. The group decided to stop. They came here because they thought there would be pasture and aid. But they couldn't find either - Somaliland was also gripped by drought.