Somalia and Somaliland are facing one of their worst droughts in decades, following four poor rainy seasons and a locust invasion that is sweeping across the Horn of Africa. Severe water shortages and dry pastures have decimated livestock, affecting the livelihoods of Somali pastoralist communities. As crops fail and food prices rise, the ability of people to stave off hunger has weakened.

The drought and continuing insecurity have forced hundreds of thousands of people to move from rural areas and settle in urban centres in the hope of finding food, clean water, shelter, and healthcare. Many people have also sought refuge in camps for internally displaced people, where there is a lack of toilets, hand washing stations and clean drinking water.

At the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) projects in Baidoa, Mudug, Jubbaland, Hargeisa and Las Anod, patients have shared with us how they need humanitarian assistance to survive. Many people have described to us their very challenging journeys in search of assistance. These journeys can include walking for more than 20 days, or up to 150 kilometres, and losing family members while on the move.