Drought Updates, Mandera Triangle (Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia border) By Abdul Haro, Practical Action, 10 th June 2011 International aid agencies and Weather experts are warning that the drought situation is worsening in East and Horn of Africa region. The agencies have raised concern over growing rates of livestock dying from thirst and hunger. According to Paul Redfern, a Nation Newspaper correspondent, the UK-based development agency Oxfam has issued a statement that drought in the region had worsened “following successive failed rains.” The late 2010 short rainy season failed completely in many parts of Mandera Triangle, and now the April-May long rains have only poured for two days and have recorded below average amounts. Most surface dams and water pans in Mandera have dried up and exhibit characteristics shown above. Photo by, Abdul Haro This, coupled with the recent problems along the common border between Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia has led to restricted mobility and scarcity of essential commodities and resulted in sky-rocketing of food prices way beyond the reach of many people. The ongoing drought has also seen open water pans and dams drying up and livestock which is the main economic life line of pastoralists in the area become very weak leading to collapse of livestock markets resulting in more poor people pulled into the vicious cycle of poverty which has been compounded by the many cycles and relays of the cyclic drought in the region. The overall human impact is that of increased levels of malnutrition and greatly reduced people’s income. According to Hajji Allow Choma, an 85 year old elder in Mandera, what the region is going through is in his estimates the “worst drought we have ever experienced in my not so short life”. Some government officials also report that 2011 could be one of the driest years since 1995. A local Councilor in Elwak, Mandera(Kenya) town feels that the pastoralists in the region are very fearful that they may lose all whatever is left of their stock and ultimately humans may start dying if no rain arrives in October this year. He says, “…for the first time we are seeing a drought in which camels, giraffes, donkeys and zebras are dying.” Many livestock have died and it is feared humans will follow soon. A camel faints in the boma in Mandera, Kenya due to thirst (Photo: Abdul Haro) According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet), current humanitarian response was inadequate hence large-scale emergency help is urgently needed “to save lives and treat acute malnutrition” in the region before the situation degenerates into what could possibly be the most severe food security emergency in the world today. The Kenyan Government has declared the drought and food crisis a national disaster. .