Addis Abeba – From 6 to 10 March 2022, Afar Self-Help Development (APDA), a local NGO in Afar, visited conflict affected Afdera, Dallol and Konnaba areas. In Afdera, the team visited around 17,000 people who were displaced from Abala and some 43,000 from Berhale, including Fatouma (*name changed), a mother of five who fled from Abala.
Fatouma is an example of resilience in times of crisis. Together with her five children, her mother and other neighboring women, she fled fighting in Abala in December. Nine months pregnant at the time, she walked for days in search of security and assistance carrying her two-year old baby.
After six days of fleeing her hometown and two days of labor, Fatouma collapsed under a tree. One of the women assisted her in giving birth to her sixth child.
On the fourth day, labor pain kicked in. The women who fled with her encouraged her to keep walking to the nearest town, as there was no other help that could be provided in the wilderness.
Fatouma recalls her pain and suffering, “I walked for two days with excruciating labor pain, with hardly enough water and food.” After six days of fleeing her hometown and two days of labor, Fatouma collapsed under a tree. One of the women assisted her in giving birth to her sixth child.
The local community helped her until she regained her strength, and she continued on foot until she reached Harsuuma in Afdera, nine days later. The situation of Fatouma and thousands of other IDPs in Afdera is devastating, with humanitarian assistance impacted by ongoing conflict in the region. UN
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