Radio Ergo audience feedback report, Issued: 29 Sep 2022

Calls this week (22-28 September 2022) to the Radio Ergo audience feedback platform reflected continuing concerns over lack of water, animal fodder, and food; perished or dying livestock; and widespread displacement without aid or services. Some callers mostly in northern regions reported some rainfall, although many said they would not easily recover from the drought. Callers in Galgadud and Hiran said conflict was exacerbating the hardships of the drought. High prices of basic items remained of great concern. Some callers said that aid was not going to the right people due to corruption. The following summarises the calls by theme.

Aid – several callers in Mudug complained about aid being diverted to the wrong people. They asked for aid agencies to give out the aid directly and not through third parties. A caller in one village said the cooking oil, sorghum and maize given out had ended up being sold in the market by those who acquired it.

Prices – complaints about prices came largely from Puntland, central regions and a few other areas. One female caller said the prices were rising yet nobody seemed to know about their situation. Another female caller in Puntland said the government should lower the price of books that had also gone up affecting education. Callers in Dusamareb reacted to journalistic coverage Radio Ergo gave this week to people’s frustration at losing their savings in local currency that has been rejected. One said he had 120 million in Somali shillings that he could no longer use in this time of crisis.

Conflict – callers in various parts of Galgadud said drought and conflict were affecting them severely and they needed aid. One caller in Abudwak said they had heard about aid being delivered but had seen nothing. A caller in an unidentified village said to be occupied by Al-Shabab claimed that two children had died of malnutrition two days before his call.

Reactions to Rainfall – several callers in Ballidhig and Buhodle in Togdher said they were doing better after rainfall, though one said that their livestock were still dying. A caller in Yeed, Sool, said they had not recovered from the drought despite some rainfall. A female caller in Goob said they now had some water in the water catchment.

Water shortage and drought – in Togdher, several callers said they still faced severe water shortage and their livestock were dying. In Sanag, a female caller in El-afweyn said they had had no rain since 2020. Another said people were still cutting trees for charcoal despite the severity of the drought and toll on livestock. In Sool, a caller in Ainabo said they had lost all their livestock including their pack animals. In Puntland, a caller in Garowe said he had only 20 camels left from his original herd of 70. A caller in Harhar, Mudug, said they still faced drought and water shortage and aid organisations were only giving small handouts. In Galgadud, a caller in Adado said drought was worsening and displaced families were not getting any help. A caller in Bahdo said people who had fled after conflict were now returning to the area and they needed rainfall. Callers in Guriel said they faced the threats of drought, water shortage, and Al-Shabab and needed the government to help. Several callers in Hiran region described worsening drought conditions. A female caller in a rural part of Beletweyne district said people were migrating to areas where there had been a little rain. Another caller in Hiran said they were almost at famine stage. A female caller in Jowhar, M. Shabelle, said their children faced water and food shortage and they needed water aid. A caller in Gedo said they were many people now in the IDP camps and they needed government help.

Source: Radio Ergo