Mumino Haji: "I am too weak and my husband cannot move"

In January, Mumino Haji, 30, fled the fighting between Ethiopian-backed government troops and insurgents in Mogadishu to seek shelter in Beletweyne in Hiiraan region, 320km north of the capital. Haji arrived with eight children, aged between two and 14 years, to join thousands of other internally displaced persons (IDPs), who sought refuge in Beletweyne. Two of her children died within 24 hours of each other due to lack of food. The Nasib camp, where around 950 families live, has had no food distribution for three months, according to the overseer Magaalo Muhumad.

Haji's husband joined her and the children after he was injured when his area became a battle zone. She spoke to IRIN on 1 July:

"My husband was injured four days after we arrived and friends brought him to Beletweyne.

“We used to live in the Bakara market area [south Mogadishu]. My husband worked in the market and I baked sweets to sell. We were poor but at least we used to eat every day. The children went to school.

“However, as soon as the fighting began, the Bakara area became one of the more dangerous in the city. Almost every home in our neighbourhood was hit once, sometimes more than once. It got to the point where we could not go anywhere. My husband could not work and I could not bake or sell my things.

“One day, the shelling was really bad and one of my neighbours’ houses was hit. When we went to help we found the entire family wiped out; mother, father and seven children, all dead.

“It was then that I decided to leave and take my children to some place safe. I found a group of people who said they were going to Beletweyne, and I decided to go with them. It took us days, because we had to walk and other times trucks would give us a ride.

"By the time we came to Beletweyne I had very little and I started doing odd jobs in the town to feed my children and now my injured husband, who still has metal inside him.

“There are no jobs now. The town is not as safe as it used to be. I had help from the camp and the food they gave us but now there is no food and two of my children [aged five and two] died of hunger last week. My six-year-old girl is very sick and I am worried that she may die also.

"I left Mogadishu hoping to find peace and escape death but instead found hunger and death.

"I am too weak and my husband cannot move. I don't know what to do. All I can do is pray that things will get better and we will return to our home, otherwise we may all die here."

ah/mw