Posted on 15 June, 2012
Voice From the Field: “People Living in Dadaab are Broken”
“As more and more refugees crossed the border, and the security situation got worse, three sprawling refugee camps—named after the nearby town of Dadaab—were set up 80 kilometers [about 50 miles] away in the desert, with space for 90,000 people. Today, almost half a million Somalis are struggling to survive in the camps.”
Abubakar Mohamed Mahamud has worked with Somali refugees in northeastern Kenya since the war in Somalia began more than 20 years ago. Originally a nurse specializing in nutrition, he is now MSF’s deputy field coordinator.
Photo: Somali refugees wait outside the MSF health post on the outskirts of Dadaab’s Dagahaley camp.
Kenya 2011 © Lynsey Addario/VII
Refugees Dying from Lack of Water in South Sudan
Tens of thousands of refugees fleeing fighting in Sudan are facing a full-blown humanitarian crisis, with people dying from a lack of water, adequate medical care, and shelter as they seek refuge in already-overcrowded camps in South Sudan. MSF Medical Team Leader Dr. Erna Rijnierse described the situation in Maban on June 14.
Refugees in South Sudan: “We Walked for Six Days … With Nothing But Our Clothes”
“We were on the road for two months. Many villages we went through kept being bombed, so we had to keep fleeing. We had food for two weeks, then we ran out. We ate the lalop fruit and leaves from trees. We gave food for the children mostly, and some days we had nothing to eat. Some people got very sick and we had to leave some by the road—we could not carry them and they were too weak to continue.”
—28-year-old mother of six children
Photo: Refugees fleeing conflict and food insecurity in the Nuba Mountains face insufficient levels of assistance in Yida camp.
South Sudan 2012 © Sally McMillan