Landslides Displace Many in Southern Ethiopia Killing Hundreds
‘‘We are Afraid to go back Home because the Rainfall will continue’’
The number of people displaced by landslides triggered by the continuous heavy rains in Southern Ethiopia is increasing day by day as the heavy rains keep on falling and raising death tolls. Local officials, police officers, and health workers were among those that lost their lives while they were in rescue missions.
ActionAid Ethiopia’s Semen Bench Local Rights Programme is in this region hence communities we are working with are experiencing the pinch of the disaster.
Alemnesh is a 26-year-old mother of three. She lives in Kasha Keble/district where ActionAid operates. All her three little kids have not started schooling. Her husband, Geremew, supports the family with farming added with rearing animals (four cattle and four sheep). Alemnesh bought these cattle and sheep with the loan she secured from the saving and credit cooperative ActionAid formed to empower women economically.
Alemnesh describes the horrific incident that happened couple of days ago as follows:
‘‘On the late night of July 22/2024, heavy rainfall showered for more than 4 hours when, I, my husband, and our three children were asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I found the floor and walls of our mud house cracked, the door and windows deviated from their normal position. I was taken by surprise and shocked because it was my first time to see such a thing and cried and called my husband to see what happened.
While we opened the door, our neighbors were also gathering outside their houses and talking to each other about the night landslide situation. Local Kebele/district authorities visited us, wrote our names, and advised us to move from our home but as we don’t have any spare house to move to, we desperately stayed at our house for the second day. But still, the rainfall came back again with intensive fall, then the Kebele Administration forced us to move to Kasha Primary School which is constructed by AAE. Now my all family and domestic animals live there. We are afraid to go back to our house because of the rain fall will be continued.’’
Reported by: Hailu Nurligne (AAE)