Famine in Somalia 1974–1975

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The 1974-1975 famine in Somalia resulted from a severe drought known in Somalia as the Dabadheer (the "long-tailed drought" that is, the prolonged drought). It affected nomadic ranchers mainly in the northeast of the country, resulted in the deaths of 1,500 people and millions of head of cattle, and thus in losses of Somalia's most important export.

Course and reactions

Even before the drought, Somalia was suffering from food shortages and was dependent on imports.

The first official recognition of the drought and famine came in a speech given by President Siad Barre on October 21, 1974, followed by the declaration of an emergency on November 29. Soon thereafter, a National Drought Relief Committee and appropriate committees were formed at the regional, district, and village levels. In the hardest hit areas in Sanaag , Togdheer , Bari , Nugaal , Mudug and Galguduud , camps with medical facilities and educational opportunities were set up for those affected. These camps were administered by camp committees, each with a teacher from the Rural Development Campaign, a health officer, a National Security Service agent, and three representatives from the camp residents. By November / December 1974, around 112,000 people had gone to these camps, and a further 3,000 to 5,000 were added daily. In May 1975 the number of drought refugees was 772,000.

The state mobilized extensive resources and diverted funds earmarked for rural development projects into emergency aid. Foreign support initially came primarily from the Soviet Union , later also from Western countries and, within Africa, from Nigeria and Uganda .

consequences

While the human death toll remained relatively low at around 1,500 according to an official estimate from February 1975, the loss of millions of cattle, sheep, goats and camels led to major macroeconomic problems and the loss of livelihoods for numerous ranchers.

Around 90,000 nomads who had lost their cattle were moved from the camps in the north to agricultural settlements in southern Somalia from mid-1975, and another 15,000 were resettled on the coast. From 1976 to the mid-1980s, attempts were made with the help of international support to build up new livelihoods for them in agriculture and fishing. The yields in these projects, however, remained below expectations in many cases, so that many of the settlers left these settlements again.

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