Somaliland, a self-declared state and autonomous region of Somalia, is in the midst of the harshest drought in decades. Dead animals litter the earth, and pastoralists in the region have lost their livelihoods and have been forced into desperate situations. Many attribute this natural crisis to climate change and fear it will continue to get worse.
Devex connected with Save the Children’s area representative from Somaliland, Mukhtar Mohumed Hassan — who is from the region and is a veteran development professional — to ask him about the drought, the most pressing needs, lessons learned and the impacts of climate change. Here are the highlights of our conversation:
What does the harshest drought in decades mean for the people of Somaliland and their livelihoods?
About the author
Jeff Tyson@jtyson21
Jeff is a former global development reporter for Devex. Based in Washington, D.C., he covers multilateral affairs, U.S. aid, and international development trends. He has worked with human rights organizations in both Senegal and the U.S., and prior to joining Devex worked as a production assistant at National Public Radio. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and French from the University of Rochester.
