Five consecutive rainy seasons in the Mudug region with no rain.
The few remaining animals scrounge for what little pasture exists.
Now, 51 percent of Mudug's population is in need of emergency food aid.
Malyuun Islan is one of them. She and her five children fled to a camp in Mudug's capital Gaalkacyo because of war and famine. "Not much has changed, except there is no fighting here. I'm still poor. I still have no access to water, no access to food," she says.
Many of the area's wells have dried up.
Beirut Khalif Lahuva was once able to feed her family. "We used to plant our own crops near our house. Now that we do not have water, we cannot plant crops anymore," she says.
Children are among the hardest hit, with one in five classified as acutely malnourished.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-10-17-voa3.cfm
3-4 days ago.
