As deforestation and fierce winds compound the climate crisis-driven drought, sand dunes are burying the medieval port of Hobyo. Will pledges to green the desert save families already displaced by war?
Hussein Karshe paces back and forth across the sand on the outskirts of the coastal town of Hobyo. Beneath the soft white dune lie the remains of the two-bedroom house he built for his family in 1993. A few sticks buried below the sand are the only visible sign of the building where his six children were born. Karshe lived there for nearly 20 years, supporting his family by selling goats.
But in 2011 heavy sandstorms covered the ground around his home. Over the next year the sand accumulated, creeping up the external walls of the house and blowing into the rooms. At first Karshe tried to keep the sand at bay by scooping it out with his hands or a small shovel, but his efforts proved futile.
‘I’ve lost everything. All I have left are memories’ … retired air force technician Hussein Karshe, 70
