Feature - Somali region sets out its programme

The Somali Regional State is an area of Ethiopia synonymous with drought, famine and conflict - each disaster exacerbated by political turmoil that has gripped the region. But the new regional government – which is just 60 days old - now says it is committed to the regeneration of the Somali Region. The scale of its task is enormous. The region has been ravaged by wars and clan conflict. Its dust-bowl conditions – the annual rainfall is one of the lowest in Ethiopia – have wreaked havoc on the population. Its porous 1,600-km border with war-ravaged Somalia has seen tens of thousands of refugees flood into the country to escape the decade-long fighting. Some five refugee camps – three others have since been closed – housing over 50,000 Somali refugees, still litter the arid landscape and place an additional burden on already over-stretched services. The people in the region are among the least educated in the Horn of Africa, with barely 10 percent of the population ever making it into schools and with the highest dropout rate in the country. In rural parts of the region most never make it to school at all. The Somali Regional State – also known as Zone Five – is one of the largest areas in Ethiopia. Some 85 percent of its official 3.4 million population are nomadic pastoralists whose livelihood depends entirely on their cattle – many of which were lost during the 2000 famine. In addition to fierce clashes with rival clans and ethnic groups, the pastoralists' situation has been further aggravated by lack of water, necessary for their livestock. NEW GOVERNMENT SETS OUT PRIORITIES But gradually, and with the commitment of the international community, the new vice president of the region, Abdul Jibril, says his administration now hopes to make a difference. “Our needs here are very vast,” Abdul told IRIN. “But we are already working on our priorities.” The key to the government's programme was to switch from relief to development that would help the people escape lasting poverty that has blighted the region. “Water comes first, then health and education,” he said in the regional capital Jijiga. “These three are our key needs." “If the donors, UN agencies and international and local NGOs help us with development this will help with a lasting solution to alleviate our poverty," he said. “Our people have the right to progress.” He also said that gender issues were being addressed. “There are critical problems also for women and children particularly in the pastoralist areas...Their needs should be targeted." Women were now gaining senior positions within the regional government. “This shows we are taking the gender issue seriously,” he added.

Children in refugee camp

Abdul, the former administrator of the region's Shinile Zone, underlined his government's programme for the pastoralists. He said six members of the government had been specifically tasked with helping them. “We have mobile education for the pastoralists, there is mobile health for them too," he said. “There is also a programme to settle them in the nearest area to where they are, to dig boreholes and rent land so that they can be settled, rather than keep moving,” he added. He said fresh elections were planned in the region’s 51 districts, along with a massive decentralisation of power to the districts. SUCCESS OF FAMINE EARLY WARNING Abdul was brought in as deputy to the regional president Abdirashid Dulane after months of internal wrangling among the political hierarchy. He said that despite the government being just two months old, it had already accomplished a lot. "What we received from former governments was very little," he pointed out. “But now we are making a difference. We are working with the international community to improve things here.” Muktar Mohamed, who heads the food security section of the regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau (DPPB), said that change would only come about through combined efforts. He said a newly launched famine Early Warning System (EWS) in the region had already been labelled a success and was helping the DPPB determine the food needs of the population. He stressed that the system was vital because it was not just about food security, but also touched on health issues, water and livestock. The system is a joint effort of both Save the Children UK (SCFUK) - which is one of the largest non-governmental organisations working in Somali Region - and the DPPB. PROBLEM OF HIV/AIDS But for Dr Kedir Mohammed the looming threat in the region is HIV/AIDS. “At present we just don’t really know how bad the picture is here,” said Dr Kedir, who is head of the Somali Regional State HIV/AIDS secretariat. He said a recent study of 400 pregnant women in the regional capital Jijiga showed that some 19 percent were HIV positive. The government was already distributing leaflets in Somali to raise awareness of the problem, he added. According to Dr Kedir, major cultural obstacles were hindering progress in tackling the virus. “Many Muslims think that HIV/AIDS is not their problem,” he said. “Sex outside of marriage is strictly forbidden so to admit to HIV/AIDS is to admit to this.” For the pastoralists still fighting the effects of the 2000 famine, there is a saying: “Tomorrow is as good as a lie.” Many are now waiting to see what the future holds for them.