Somalis didn’t lack faith even there is no food to break fasts

DADAAB, KENYA: More than a billion Muslims across the world begin observing this week the holy month of Ramadan. But unfortunately Somalis have no food even for iftar.

Struggling against the worst famine that hit the Horn of Africa in decades, thousands of Somali refugees find no food to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

“Because of the famine, we’ve been going for days without any food anyway,” 25-year-old Mohamed Dubow Saman told Reuters on Tuesday, August 2.

Over the past few weeks, a severe drought has badly hit Somalia and the rest of the Horn of Africa region, affecting more than 12 million people.

Countries affected across the region include parts of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

The sick and those traveling are exempt from fasting especially if it poses health risks.

Though sick people are granted a license for not fasting, Saman appeared determined to keep to his faith and join millions of fasting Muslims around the world.

“That was a fast without reward,” Saman said.

“At least this fast is inspired by God.”

As the sun sank below the horizon late Monday, Muslims were preparing banquets for breaking the day long fast.

Yet, Saman and refugees at Dadaab camp were prepared to go without food or water from dawn to dusk and wait until night to eat his meager rations.

Dadaab refugee camp, designed to accommodate 90,000 people, now has a population of about 380,000 refugees, making it one of the world’s largest and most congested refugee sites.

According to Doctors without Borders, the number could reach 450,000 by the end of the year.

As world nations were racing to help starving Somalis, the United Nations has warned that famine in the Horn of Africa is spreading and may soon engulf as many as six more regions of Somalia.

(source-Onislam)