Lasanood town urban vulnerability

[guraad]

update 7 Jul 2003

 

 

Background

Lasanood has been the capital of Sool Region since 1984, as well as capital of Lasanood District. Sool Region has other three districts, Ainabo, Taleh and Hudun (Ceynabo, Taleex and Xuddun, respectively) as shown on the Map. Geographically, Lasanood is located at the centre of a prime grazing area known as the Nugal Valley. The town is also close to the other high potential grazing areas of Hawd and Sool plateaus. Thus, Lasanood's location gives the town a unique characteristic of strong urban- pastoral linkage Before the collapse of the government in 1990, Lasanod was a small town with a population of about 20,000. However, within one decade, the population skyrocketed to 60,000 by 2001 (WHO, 2001). A study conducted by SC-UK in 1998 on IDP and returnee population in Somaliland(Lasscaanood now part of puntland) revealed that 73% of the population in the town were returnees from other parts of the country. Of the returnees, most came from other parts of Somaliland, especially Sanaag Region as well as Hargeisa, Burao and Berbera towns. These households had been displaced by 1988-1992 civil war and armed clan conflicts in those areas. However, many others in Lasanood have returned from the main towns in the south due ethnic tensions and clan affiliation. Others still are internally displaced people (IDPs) from the inter-riverine area in the south who were forced out from their villages and who lost their assets. Some of these households came as early as 1994 in search of a secure working environment and better living conditions.

 

Another factor accounting for Lasanood's rapid growth since 1990 is that successive droughts in Sool Region over the last several seasons claimed the lives of a significant number of livestock, especially sheep and goats (shoats) and camels, which are two important determinants of wealth in these pastoral food economy zones.Local herders living in the Sool Plateau and lower Nugaal Valley of Taleh District, in particular, experienced several unbroken rainy season failures that decimated their camel herd to about 50% of the normal size. The drought has also affected poorer pastoral household ability to obtain enough food and income as they experienced significant asset loss that severely weakened their purchasing power. Some of those households who could no longer live in a pastoral setting became destitute and dropped out of pastoralism altogether, migrating to Lasanood town.

Demographically, Lasanood is a very homogenous town in terms of clan affiliation and has been enjoying relatively peace and stability since 1990. This has encouraged a substantial level of investment from members of the Diaspora community, mainly in the form of housing, transport and small businesses. Of late, growing investment in the construction sector has been creating more job opportunities and lubricating the local economy, and thus still attracting more people into the town. These outside investments also partially explain the ever-increasing population number in the town. However, former pastoralists are finding it hard to compete with better skilled former southerners, who get most of the available construction jobs.

 

A significant level of integration exists between IDPs, returnees and original inhabitants, facilitating reasonably good overall food security. However, as the population growth exceeds the growth of jobs, infrastructure and public services, health facilities are overstretched and, and accessibility to clean water has been an acute problem, especially for low-income households, putting more strain on household purchasing power.

 

Main Livelihood Sources

 

Lasanood has a relatively strong economic base, which depends primarily on livestock sector. Other mainstays of the local economy are remittances (for better off and middle classes) from the diaspora community and the transport sector, supported by a good road network which links the town to Berbera and Bosaso ports as well as central Somalia. Moreover, the substantial cross border trade between Puntland and the neighbouring Zone Five in Ethiopia passes through Lasanood, which makes it a growing commercial hub.

 

Even though there is no strong baseline at household level showing the relative importance of various income sources among households according to different wealth group, the livestock sector is believed to be the most important source of income for most households. During a rapid assessment on June 7-8 and interviews with local elders and key informants, FEWS NET and FSAU found that 50-60% of the urban population derives a substantial amount of their income from the livestock sector, directly or indirectly, in a normal year -- defined as 1996.

 

Most households in town own livestock, mainly shoats and some camels, which are kept by their kin or family members in the countryside. Thus, a significant number of the population, especially the middle wealth and better off groups, has continuous and unlimited access to livestock and livestock products in a normal year. Overall, urban household food and income is closely linked to pastoral production and therefore drought in the pastoral areas has more far reaching implications on the urbanites in Lasanood than one would otherwise expect.

 

Lasanood is also the commercial link between Zone Five of Ethiopia, Puntland and central Ethiopia as well as the major livestock market in Burao (Somaliland). Many households, therefore, engage in livestock trade. It is this trade and associated service sector that provides an additional important employment opportunities for poor households.

 

However, the ban on imports of Somali livestock ban by Somalia's trade partners in the Arabian Peninsula since September 2000 has seriously damaged the livestock trade and related employment opportunities. Moreover, successive droughts in Sool and Hawd Plateaus weakened livestock and reduced their marketability. This has hurt market activities and employment opportunities for poor urban households.

 

Nowadays, poor and very poor households in Lasanood, representing 20-25% of the population and owning fewer animals of their own, receive the bulk of their food and income from sources other than own livestock or the livestock trade. Construction, small business, and petty trade are the most important employers for lower income households.

 

 

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/40d7a24abc52d97849256d60001f4bcc?OpenDocument

[AYOUB]

You thought we wouldn't notice if you slid in few extra words from the original document, did you?

[guraad]

i DID NOWINGLY . IF I DONT WANT YOU TO NOTICE I HADN`T GIVING YOU THE ORIGINAL COPY.

ITS OLD REPORT AND FACTS ARE NOW DIIFFRENT . DRAAWIISH ARMY AND PUNTLAND RULE LAASCAANOOD NOW .

[General Duke]

Well doe guraad intereseting reading

[BN]

Nice article. It good to hear Lascanod is doing well.

 

Ayoub[and company],

 

It seems UDUB is too busy with Khat sessions and and corruption and has all but given up on SSH. I think you'll enjoy these articles written by your compatriots:

 

THE FEEBLE-MINDED GOVERNMENT

 

Corruption, Corruption, Everywhere!

[miles-militis]

Minister of Finance – “ … no region of Somaliland are being occupied. Eastern regions are governed by their own people under a different administration”.

 

One must truly admire it when people of authority can separate reality from fiction for the benefit of the ill-informed. The truth of the matter and really both of which hurt so badly is laid out as it is only to be seen by the bamboozled.

 

The Minister here says it as it is in his response with respect to the Hargeysa local media’s fatal obsession with the issue of S S & Cayn. His response “ Ma jiro dal la inaga haystaa, Gobollada Barina [s s & cayn] waxa ka jira nin u dhashay [this is the operative term here] oo maamul kale sheeganaya [Puntland]”.

 

Siilaanyo in his rather subdued ploy tries to sound diplomatic in his defiant response on the matter “Waxa jirtay waqtiyada qaarkood in gobolladaas iyo degmooyinkaas ay dawladda Somaliland awood fara badan ku lahayd, oo cid kasta ay kaga awood badnayd, maantana waxa aad moodaa markii laga soo qaaday ciidankii iyo dadkii dawladda u joogay, arrintaas waxa aan is leeyahay dhaawac badan ayey u geysatay. Anigu waxa aan aaminsanaa in berigaana aanu dawladda kula talin jirnay. Waxa weeye wixii dadka maslaxadiisa soo dhaweynaya ee dadkaasi ku imanayo in lagu dhaqaaqo”

 

However, the ill-advised few rather challenged in their perspective so troubled by the will and determination of the locals in the concerned Somali regions yet so wired up to their teeth see matters through rather blurred binoculars as indicative of the laughably if desperate articles enticing hatred and calling for war.

 

http://www.togdheer.com/knews/index.php?Show=184&Template=FullNews

[BN]

Samurai,

Thanks for the article. It seems the truth has dawned on the hargeisa politicians and have publically given up. But when will the diaspora realize it?