MOGADISHU: This year’s holy month of Ramadan coincides with the longest drought on record in Somalia. As the sun sets and Muslims around the world gather to break their daily fasts with generous dinners, Hadiiq Abdulle Mohamed and her family have just water and whatever food might be at hand.
Mohamed is among more than 1 million Somalis who have fled their homes in search of help while an estimated 43,000 people died last year alone. She and her husband and their six children now take refuge in one of the growing displacement camps around the capital, Mogadishu.
Ramadan brought an increase in food prices for a country already struggling with inflation caused in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the withering of local crops by five consecutive failed rainy seasons. Millions of livestock that are central to people’s diets have died.
Now food is even harder to come by for those displaced. For Ramadan, Mohamed and her family rely on well-wishers to provide their single meal a day. First, they break their fast with water and pieces of dates, then spoons of rice. Finally, they eat the donated meal of rice cooked with mixed meat, bruised banana and a small plastic bag of juice, which Mohamed waits in line for hours under the searing sun to obtain.
“I recall the Ramadan fast we had in the past when we were enjoying and prospering,” she said. “We would milk our goats, cook the ugali (maize porridge) and collard greens and drink water from our catchment. However, this year we are living in a camp, without plastic to cover us from rain, without food to eat, thirsty and experiencing drought. We have this small hot meal, but do you think that this can feed a family of six children, plus a mother and father? That is not possible.” The family once was prosperous and owned farmland and goats in a village about 140 kilometers (87 miles) west of the capital. Now they try to get by on the little money her husband makes by carrying goods in a wheelbarrow. But food prices have soared so much that his income is no longer enough to buy a 1 kilogram (2.2 pound) bag of rice.
The inflation in Somalia pinches the more well-off, too. The typical Ramadan fast-breaking meal includes samosas and other snacks; juice and tea and coffee; the main dish of rice or spaghetti or flatbread with camel, goat, chicken or fish; and finally, dessert.
The Horn of Africa country imports the majority of its food, from Ukraine-grown wheat to the bottles of Mountain Dew stocked in some gleaming Mogadishu shops. Meanwhile, prices of basics like rice and cooking oil continue to rise in parts of the country.
This month, World Food Program monitoring reported that supply chain resilience was generally good in Somalia, but the spike in demand for Ramadan would be “a disadvantage to vulnerable households who depend on local markets.”
“We are really experiencing a soaring price of food and another basic commodities,” said Ahmed Khadar Abdi Jama, a lecturer in economics at Somalia University. “Whenever there is an external factor that can reduce the supply of food, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it is more likely that Somalis will feel a low supply.”
For example, a kilogram of camel meat that cost about $4 before the holy month now costs about $6. But this inflation will subside after the month is over, Khadar said.
Ramadan is a month of alms and forgiveness throughout the Muslim world. With the growing number of Somalis displaced by the drought, the imams of the mosques in Mogadishu are leading efforts to encourage the city’s wealthy and others who can afford it to sympathize with the poor and give generously.
“Some people need food to afford to break their fast,” said one imam, Sheikh Abdikarim Isse Ali. “Please help them.”
Some in dry Somalia break Ramadan fast with little but water
https://arab.news/wcqmx
Some in dry Somalia break Ramadan fast with little but water
- Ramadan brought an increase in food prices for a country already struggling with inflation caused in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- Millions of livestock that are central to people’s diets have died
Asia rings in 2026 with Australia hosting defiant celebration after mass shooting
- Australia holds defiant celebrations after its worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years
- Hong Kong holds a subdued event after a deadly fire in tower blocks
MELBOURNE, Australia: Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of its worst mass shooting.
South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks stuck midnight in Auckland 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks.
Defiant celebration in Australia after worst mass shooting
Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New Zealand. In Sydney, the country’s largest city, celebrations were held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.
A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the waterfront to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the annual event.
An hour before midnight, the massacre victims were commemorated with a minute of silence while images of a menorah were projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.
“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he said.
Indonesia and Hong Kong hold subdued events
In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.
The capital, Jakarta, was not ringing in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing subdued celebrations with a program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.
Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties, calling for prayer and reflection. “Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.
Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali were canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring traditional dances.
Hong Kong, too, was ringing in 2026 without the usual spectacle in the sky over iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.
The facades of eight landmarks were turning into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.
Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.
In Japan, crowds were gathering at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony were being held at the Bosingak Pavilion.
Berliners celebrate in snowfall
Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital’s cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.
Quieter celebrations in Greece and Cyprus
Greece and Cyprus were ringing in 2026 by turning down the volume, replacing traditional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays in capital cities. Low-noise fireworks avoid the explosive bursts that generate the loud cracks of traditional displays.
Officials in the countries said the change is intended to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets, particularly animals sensitive to loud noise.
Additional security in New York City
Police in New York City will have additional anti-terrorism measures at the Times Square ball drop, with “mobile screening teams” in search of suspicious activity. It is not in response to a specific threat, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
After the ball drops in Times Square, it will rise once again, sparking in red, white and blue, to mark the country’s upcoming 250th birthday celebration. It will be one of several patriotic flourishes throughout the night, organizers said.
Zohran Mamdani will take office as mayor at the start of 2026. Two swearing-in ceremonies are planned, starting with a private ceremonial event around midnight in an old subway station.
