Kenya-Somalia: The nitty-gritty of flight

This extract and image have been taken from IRIN. Views expressed are the author’s own.

The vast number of people fleeing famine and drought in Somalia for neighbouring Kenya overshadows the fact that each journey begins with a tough decision to leave that is prompted by specific events and is followed by a series of more mundane choices, such as what to pack.

IRIN recently discussed the details of their flight with several families on the Kenya-Somalia border.

“We have been experiencing droughts since 2008, 2009,” explained Abdullahi Ahmed, as he sat under a tree with his family in the Kenyan town of Liboi, after a 300km journey.

They had walked from their village outside Baidoa – a town controlled by Al-Shabab militia in the Bay region – where he grew cash crops and raised livestock.

After two failed rains, “I gave it another year,” he said, but to no avail: in late 2010 his animals died.

“People were dying in our village, there was no food. I could not let my family die – we had to leave.”

Like many refugees, he had heard from radio reports and other travellers that help was available in Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee complex, in Kenya.

Some NGOs in Somalia provide food to the needy, said another refugee, Hassan Mohammed, a pastoralist who had walked 700km from his home near Mogadishu, the capital.

“But Al-Shabab takes the food from them saying they will give it to the people but they only lock it away.”

Family decision

In Somali society an individual’s independence is greatly valued. When any decision affecting the household is taken, every member of the family’s opinion is taken into consideration.

After 16 people died in his community, Hassan Mohammed said he sat down with his family to explain they had a long journey ahead. “We are pastoralists, so we do travel long distances in search of pasture but the children don’t always come. They asked how far they will have to walk, I told them it was going to be a long walk but we had to find our new home.”

Aden Buale, 80, spat on the ground as he mentioned Al-Shabab. “Those people are evil. We heard on the radio that humanitarian people could not come and help us but help was available on this side of the border. Instead of waiting to die, we thought, ‘We have to walk’.”

Some of those with surviving livestock sold them for cash, often to buy a donkey and cart to transport the elderly and children.

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