Somalia: Pastoralists Leave Drought-Hit Villages

(IRIN) June 23, 2009 – Thousands of nomadic pastoralists in the self-declared republic of Somaliland have abandoned their drought-affected villages and moved closer to urban centres, officials have said. “More than 20 percent of the nomads have moved to the urban centres, [and are] living with their families in villages near towns,” Mursal Askar Mire, […]

160 Syrian Villages Deserted ‘Due to Climate Change’

June 2, 2009 (AFP) – Some 160 villages in northern Syria were deserted by their residents in 2007 and 2008 because of climate change, according to a study released on Tuesday. The report drawn up by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) warns of potential armed conflict for control of water resources in the […]