“We are under siege, our roads are blocked, we want to support youth and women, but we need help.”

A year on from the start of stabilization and early recovery activities in Hudur to enhance the community’s resilience, Hudur’s Mayor Omar Atuu reflects on the achievements and shares his hopes for the future. 

In the Southwest State of Somalia’s Bakool region, Hudur town is home to an estimated 11,000 people. Historically a hub of trade, it was liberated from the Al Shabaab (AS) control in 2014 when AMISOM pushed the insurgents out of the main town. As they withdrew, they left a trail of destroyed roads and other infrastructures in and out of the town, leaving its population in a state of acute vulnerability and in need of assistance. Despite losing control of the main town, the terrorist group-maintained control of the surrounding territories effectively cutting access to Hudur. 

The roadblocks and controls remain effective as of today and have hindered access to the city and movements within the district, limiting the flow of food and other commodities to donkey carts and airlifted aid. With reduced supply and restricted access to local products, compounded by inflation in global food prices, and little external interaction, essential goods became less affordable, shaking the fragile local economy. Adding to the long-term security issues, constant climate shocks have led to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

Elected Mayor Omar Atuu remembers life before the siege and blockades started in the area: 

“Life in the community was quite good, but in 2014 AS started to lockdown the city. They blocked all roads that come into Hudur, which made people’s lives more difficult. The price of food is much higher; the availability of food products is not even guaranteed. It became extremely hard for people to get their daily food products.” 

When the 2022 government offensive against al-Shabaab yielded the most comprehensive territorial gains since the mid-2010s, it marked a breakthrough in a protracted crisis, as the government partnered with international partners, including UNDP, to deliver on a National Stabilization Strategy to help rebuild livelihoods in Hudur. 

For UNDP, delivering tailored and effective assistance to communities in need became a priority, to tackle a range of development issues across many sectors. Following a consultative process with the community, Southwest state, and local government actors in Hudur, and in coordination with other stakeholders, an area-based integrated stabilization program (ABIP) was designed, to address priority needs. The ABIP strategy was crucial in responding to Somalia’s intricate socio-political landscape and dynamic environmental conditions, with Hudur, (and Barawe to a lesser degree) becoming the first stabilization intervention points. Speaking to UNDP, Mayor Atuu underlined the importance of the non-sectoral, whole-of-society impact of the area-based Stabilization efforts, in key areas for Hudur residents, namely the rebuilding of the market, the youth center, the police station, and the women’s center: 

“The police officers can now work efficiently and comfortably; they can even work more motivated. It was a great support on the side of security. People who have small businesses in an open-air market in town are now getting their space in a building that offers good conditions, without fearing the rains, the sun, fire breakouts, and all these things. It is meant for small businesses, and around 90% of them are women, so this helps to increase the economic development women, and the town.” 

Mayor Atuu adds that the youth centre will go a long way to push youth forward, as almost 75% of Hudur’s population belongs to this age range.