Ethiopia’s Somali region: between drought and unrest

. . The impact of consecutive rain failures is already fierce, producing widespread livestock losses and displacement as well as loss of human life. Its end is not clear as forecasts for the next rainy season are not encouraging. We have already been raising attention to this issue as it affects Somalia. This blog draws attention to this unfolding crisis in the Somali Region State of Ethiopia (SRS) raising two main concerns: that the current drought in this area is not getting sufficient attention and support from both the Ethiopian Government and international actors who are focused elsewhere and that increasing political unrest within the SRS is distracting from attention on the drought.